Russia to release 100 illegally captured whales back into the wild
Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev said the operation would take at least four months.
Published
Russian officials have launched an operation to release nearly 100 illegally captured whales whose confinement in Russia’s far east has become a rallying cry for environmentalists.
A state TV reporter made the announcement during President Vladimir Putin’s live Q&A show on Thursday, saying that by “coincidence” the operation had begun just before the start of the programme.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev said during the show that the operation to fully re-introduce the mammals back into the wild would take at least four months.
Russian prosecutors have brought criminal charges against four companies keeping the whales.
