A Russian judge has ruled that the first of the 30 people arrested following a Greenpeace protest in the Arctic should remain in jail for three more months pending trial.
Australian activist Colin Russell was the first to have his case heard as investigators ask St Petersburg courts to extend the detention period for all 30, and Monday's ruling suggests the others have little hope for release.
Six other defendants also have hearings on Monday.
The Russian coast guard seized the Greenpeace ship on Sept 18 and arrested everyone on board after the environmental activists tried to scale an offshore drilling platform owned by Russian state energy giant Gazprom.
The detainees are charged with hooliganism, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
