A peace flotilla has sailed to the luxury lodge of Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A peace flotilla has sailed to the luxury lodge of Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A peace flotilla against the invasion of Ukraine has arrived outside the lodge of Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov in Helena Bay, Northland.
It is calling on the government to immediately freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs in New Zealand, thereby pressuring Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine, which began last month.
Flotilla coordinator Thomas Everth said the group of seven boats was circling in front of the luxury lodge showing signs and recording drone footage.
With the government announcing last week it intended to pass a Russian Sanctions Bill that would target Russian oligarchs, Everth said they would be pushing from Abramov to be included in this category.
"The government has now passed a law that allows them to do that in principle, which was unanimously passed in Parliament which is great," he said.
"Now the question is will Abramov be fitting into this category – the analysis is to see if he is part of that group of people the government wants to target.
"Abramov has been labelled as the number one oligarch on a list done in America … surely he is one of the key people that could end this."
Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov's Helena Bay mansion. Photo / Greg Bowker
Everth said he had begun organising for the demonstration ten days ago, and set sail with his wife and crewman from Whitianga on Wednesday evening.
They had met with other protest boats in Whangaruru Harbour yesterday afternoon and planned for this morning's protest action.
Everth said he had been particularly affected by the war in Ukraine as he had grown up in a Germany divided by the Iron Curtain.
The peace flotilla has arrived at Helena Bay. Photo / Peter de Graaf
As part of the peace fleet that sailed to Mururoa to protest atomic warfare in 1995, he said New Zealand had a strong history of protest fleets.
"In New Zealand, we're a small country, but what we can do is raise our voices, and our tradition of using sailing ships to protest and rally for a cause.
"What Putin is doing, if he wins this he will extinguish a whole nation that wants to join the whole world. And if he wins this one, what's his next target going to be?"
Greenpeace Aotearoa Programme director Niamh O'Flynn said their action today was highlighting the impact New Zealand could have on the situation unfolding in Ukraine.
"STAND UP TO PUTEN" has been written in the sands at the Helena Bay luxury lodge. Photo / Craig McCarthy
"For today's action, we are out right in front of the lodge, here to really draw attention to the fact that Russian oligarchs do have assets here in Aotearoa, so we have some power to pressure them into pressuring Putin to end the war.
"We're here showcasing that, and sending a strong message to our government that they need to freeze these assets.
"Until the assets of the big fish like Alexander Abramov are frozen, the job's not done."
O'Flynn had departed Auckland on the Windborne on Thursday morning.
