Masked men beat up Greenpeace activists in Russia’s Krasnodar territory

On the night of September 9, eight masked gunmen attacked volunteer firefighters from Greenpeace at their campsite in the delta of the Kuban River. According to the head of the expedition Gregory Kuksin, “[the attackers] pointed their guns at us … put us down to the ground, kicked us a little, shot us near our heads, and poured some chemical rubbish over us.”

According to Greenpeace, two activists have been injured as a result of the attack. One of them received a concussion and a broken nose and the other ended up with broken ribs.

Tents and cars were also damaged in the attack, and valuable equipment was stolen.

“They said that if we do not get out of here by morning, no one will ever be able to find us again. They said that we should get out of here and go to our America, our Pendosia (derogatory term for the United States),” recounted Kuksin.

• Earlier, Greenpeace complained about opposition from unknown persons identifying themselves as Cossacks.
• On September 8, these “Cossacks” barricaded the vehicle exit at the activists’ headquarters and accused them of being traitors.