Paul McCartney once quoted lyrics from The Beatles at Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hopes he would release imprisoned Greenpeace activists.
A new BBC documentary, called On Thin Ice: Putin V Greenpeace, will explore the campaigners and journalists on the Arctic Sunrise vessel who were charged with piracy in 2013 after a protest outside a floating oil rig in the Pechora Sea. Their charge was later downgraded to hooliganism
After the 28 campaigners and two freelance journalists were detained, Sir Paul wrote a letter to the Russian president. The singer wrote: "Forty-five years ago I wrote a song about Russia for the White Album, back when it wasn’t fashionable for English people to say nice things about your country.
“That song had one of my favourite Beatles lines in it: ‘Been away so long I hardly knew the place, gee it’s good to be back home.’ Could you make that come true for the Greenpeace prisoners?” The six-part series will show unseen footage from during and after the protest as well as interviews and reconstructions.
Sir Paul has long been a supporter of Greenpeace and has backed its Save The Arctic campaign among other issues. Sir Paul previously met Mr Putin for tea in the Kremlin when he performed in Red Square in 2003.
The icon previously wrote a series of letters to Russian authorities demanding the release of punk band and feminist protest group, Pussy Riot - which consists of Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. The duo both served two-year sentences for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”.
Their convictions followed a performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow of a song protesting against Vladimir Putin. In one of the letters, Sir Paul wrote: “I have had a long relationship with the Russian people, and, with this in mind, I am making the following request in a spirit of friendship for my many Russian acquaintances who, like me, believe in treating people - all people - with compassion and kindness.”
Mr Putin previously discussed his love for The Beatles. In 2009, he said: "Of course many generations in Russia have been raised by and still have a strong love of the creative works of the Beatles. I had the pleasure to meet, several years ago, Mr McCartney and of course their songs and the pieces that they have granted to this world are still on top.”
On Thin Ice: Putin V Greenpeace will be on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
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