MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Environmentalists from the Arctic Sunrise crew released under amnesty start leaving Russia and Dmitry Litvinov has been the first to depart.
"The first member of the Arctic Sunrise crew Litvinov has left Russia and will celebrate New Year at home!" Greenpeace tweeted on Thursday.
All foreigners in the Arctic Sunrise crew will be able to go home by the end of the week, the Greenpeace press office has told Interfax.
"Today 14 activists received transit visas and the others will get them tomorrow," the press office said.
The Arctic Sunrise crew members deal with buying tickets themselves and will leave Russia by the end of the week most likely, the press office said.
Russian border guards detained 30 activists and crewmembers of the Arctic Sunrise on September 19, 2013, for an attempted protest against oil drilling at the Prirazlomnaya oilrig in the Pechora Sea.
The environmentalists were brought to Murmansk, where a local court remanded them into custody for two months. All of them were transferred to detention facilities in St. Petersburg on November 12. St. Petersburg courts released each of the defendants on 2-million-ruble bail.
The State Duma declared amnesty on December 18 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution. The Arctic Sunrise crew and activists are eligible for the amnesty.