Activist case a 'circus': Greenpeace

A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of Aussie Greenpeace activist Colin Russell. Source: AAP

THE wife of a Greenpeace activist detained in Russia has described watching him appear in court as "bittersweet".

A Russian court extended the pre-trial detention of Arctic 30 protester Colin Russell by three months on Monday, denying a request for bail or house arrest.

He has already spent two months in jail.

Christine Russell said watching proceedings in St Petersburg's Primorsky Court had been "pretty tough, bittersweet".

"Sweet in that we were able to watch a live stream of Colin's proceedings taking place ... because we haven't had a lot of contact with him," she told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

"Good to be able to hear that he's still got his sense of humour ... that seems to be holding him up through this absurd circus that's going on with these ridiculous charges."

The 59-year-old Tasmanian is one of 30 Arctic Sunrise crew members facing charges of piracy and hooliganism after being arrested by Russian authorities in September.

The so-called Arctic 30 had been protesting drilling in the Arctic, and were detained after two activists tried to scale a state-owned oil platform.

Describing her husband as looking haggard, incredibly tired and having lost a lot of weight, a visibly upset Mrs Russell said "he obviously doesn't look like the Col that I know".

She again called on Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Tony Abbott to intervene directly with Russian authorities, saying she was disappointed with the level of representation so far.

"Colin needs all the support from the Australian government," she said.

In comments released by Greenpeace, Mr Russell told the court: "I haven't done anything wrong.

"I don't understand the reasons why I've been detained. I've done two months hard time for nothing. I've done nothing wrong."

Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt called for the prime minister to intervene, saying the government needed to increase its diplomatic efforts.

Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie said Mr Russell's continued detention was a "bitter blow" that made federal government intervention "all the more pressing".

"The British prime minister and German chancellor have already spoken to the Russian president to express their concerns with the continued detention of the Greenpeace activists and it is beyond time for Tony Abbott to do the same," Mr Wilkie said in a statement.

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