Intellectuals and politicians demand the release of captain Nikitin, who is kept in prison in St. Petersburg.

Yesterday, despite the lousy weather, the atmosphere in La Closerie des Lilas was at fever heat, due to the mobilisation by the establishment of Paris in favour of some very good causes: The "master of ceremonies", Brice Lalonde was surrounded by Pierre Bergé, Gonzague Saint-Bris, André Glucksmann and by an army of politicians representing the entire political landscape, who all attended the dinner in order to show their support in the Nikitin-case…

Being the president of this supporting-committee, Brice Lalonde had invited the daughter of the prisoner, Anna, and her husband, Igor Kudrik, who is also the co-author of the Bellona-report on the Russian Northern Fleet – Sources of radioactive contamination, a report that is distributed in France by the organisation "Génération Ecologie". "We will launch an international campaign after the elections in Russia, when we know who will be the next president of Russia", Igor Kudrik says calmly. But the guests are impatient and want action: "We have to act immediately", Gonzague Saint-Bris replies … André Glucksmann is also full of indignation against the western countries, which are supporting Yeltsin while the military authorities in Moscow are about to create a new "captain Dreyfuss". "It’s as if Russians are less worth than the fish in Muroroa"…