On Wednesday, October 23, Russian investigators informed about their decision to drop piracy charges against environmental activists and freelance journalists detained last month aboard a Greenpeace ship.

      The group of arrested activists will instead be charged with hooliganism, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin reports. Hooliganism in Russia carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail, comparing with up to fifteen years for piracy.

      Greenpeace press service has already said the company will be striving for dismissing all charges against the activists, as it doesn't see any signs of piracy or hooliganism in their actions.

      Russian authorities seized Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise icebreaker in mid-September after activists tried to scale an oil rig in the Arctic in protest against offshore drilling in the area. On the whole, there were 30 people on board arrested and later charged with piracy, including 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists.