MOSCOW, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - The eight men accused of involvement in the mystery disappearance of the Russian-crewed Arctic Sea cargo ship last month have denied charges of piracy and kidnapping, a lawyer of one of the defendants said Friday.
Russia's special investigations committee said Thursday that the eight men, who were arrested last week onboard the Maltese-flagged vessel by Russian naval personnel following a two-week international hunt, have been remanded in custody on piracy and kidnapping charges.
Lawyer Alexander Samodaikin representing the interests of Alexei Buleyev said that his client denied all charges insisting that he and his co-defendants were environmentalists, who requested assistance from the Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea after their vessel got into trouble.
Some media reports have dismissed the hijacking theory as a ploy to cover up a possible conspiracy, including arms smuggling or that the ship, which had 15 Russian crewmembers onboard, was carrying a "secret" cargo.
Russia's chief investigator said on Tuesday allegations that the Arctic Sea may have been involved in illegal operations would be probed.
Press speculation over the mystery surrounding the Arctic Sea's disappearance has been rife, with some media outlets saying the Russian authorities are trying to cover up a smuggling or trafficking operation.
However, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday evening: "Of course this bulk freighter with deadweight of 7,000 tons was never lost. Its movements were monitored, and its coordinates were provided by several sources, including our foreign partners."
The ministry did admit that several questions over the ship's "disappearance" remained unanswered, for example whether the reported seizure of the freighter on July 24 was preceded by another attack, and whether there were other hijackers involved.
Other reports have suggested that the Arctic Sea was hiding a second, smaller vessel while sailing off Sweden's eastern coast.
Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin has dismissed such allegations as "outlandish" and "ridiculous."
Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigations Committee at the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, said on Wednesday "we are not ruling out that it may have carried more than just timber."
The Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been missing in the Atlantic for more than two weeks, was discovered off Cape Verde last Monday.
