Russia has closed the criminal case against one of the 30 crew members of a Greenpeace ship who were charged with hooliganism over a protest against Gazprom oil drilling in the Arctic, the group says.
The move, part of a Kremlin-backed amnesty, should pave the way for the other 29 crew to have their cases closed. This would then allow the 26 foreign nationals, including Australian Colin Russell, charged in the saga to finally leave Russia.
"The first of the Arctic 30 has today heard the good news that the Investigative Committee has closed its criminal case against them," a Greenpeace spokesman said, naming the activist as Anthony Perrett of Britain.
After their criminal cases are closed, the activists will still need exit visas to leave Russia as they have never officially entered the country on their Arctic Sunrise protest ship.
"They will be free to leave Russia once they get the right stamps in their passports from the migration service," said the Greenpeace spokesman in a statement.
"We know that getting those stamps would be the best Christmas present for the Arctic 30 and we hope it can occur quickly, but until such time as they do, we cannot say when they will leave."
Russia had held the 30 crew members since September after two activists scaled an oil rig in the Barents Sea owned by Gazprom to protest against oil prospecting.
Their initial arrest came when the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise was seized by the Russian security forces who winched down from a helicopter in a commando-style operation.
They were initially detained in the Arctic Circle city of Murmansk and then transferred to Russia's second city of Saint Peterburg.
It was courts in St Petersburg that in November ordered the release of all 30 on bail. Since then they have all been free but unable to leave the city. The Arctic Sunrise ship remains under Russian control in Murmansk.
Greenpeace said Perrett, from the city of Newport in Wales, has now requested an exit visa from the Federal Migration Service to allow him to leave Russia. He will hear back from the service on Thursday to collect his visa, it added.
"It's time to go home, it's time to get back to Wales, and I just got one big step closer," Greenpeace quoted Perrett as saying.
He added he was "proud" of what he did. "The Arctic is melting before our eyes and yet the oil companies are lining up to profit from its destruction," he said.
