Putin accuses Greenpeace of being paid to protect Arctic drilling

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused environmentalists opposing Russia’s exploration of the Arctic shelf of being in the pay of unspecified backers, RIA Novosti reports.

“Why is it done? Either to pressure a company and get sustenance from them, or fulfil someone’s order to disrupt shelf exploration – in this case, [exploration by] the Russian Federation,” RIA Novosti quotes Putin as referring to

environmental protests.