Interfax: Greenpeace has noble goals but wrong methods – Putin

MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax) – The actions of the Greenpeace environmentalists who tried to climb an oil platform in the Arctic posed a threat to the lives of the people who are working there, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“When they climb the platform and create an emergency situation, there could be not just one mistake of an operator but as many as possible. They get distracted from their work. Besides, we had divers under water and their lives were indeed in danger,” Putin said when speaking at the Russian literature assembly in Moscow on Thursday.

Environmentalists have developed an entire operation, the Russian president said. “Some were climbing the platform, others attacked our border guards, they virtually attacked them on boats forcing them away from the platform,” he said.

“What is this? You know, such a formula exists, and I think I will be understood in this audience – any means are good means to achieve noble goals. Is this our method, Fedya? Do you remember? Fedya, this is not our method. It is impossible to either act in such a way or to think that way. Not all noble goals can be accomplished by any means,” Putin said.

When speaking about Greenpeace activists, the Russian president said: “Do they do noble work? Yes. Did they do the right thing when they climbed the platform? No.” The state should not be cruel but it should make sure that everyone follows certain rules, Putin said. At the same time, the state should be lenient, he said.