Ukrainian who tried to sink his Russian boss’s yacht heads east to fight

A Ukrainian man who attempted to sink his Russian boss’s yacht in the Mediterranean at the weekend is travelling back home to fight.

Taras Ostapchuk was arrested on Saturday after opening valves on the luxury yacht Lady Anastasia, which was moored in Port Adriano, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. In a court appearance on the island on Sunday, he told a judge he had been trying to sink the vessel as an act of revenge against his employer, who he said owns a company that provides armament to Russia. He said he did not regret his actions.

Two other Ukrainian employees on the boat managed to close the valves, preventing the yacht from sinking.

Mr Ostapchuk told Spanish civil guard officers his boss was Alexander Mikheev.

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He told Spanish media he was persuaded to act after seeing footage on the internet of a Russian missile attack on a block of flats in Kyiv that resembled his own home in the city.

“I asked myself: What should I do, keep working or fight for my country?” he said. “I decided that my country is more important than my job.”

The 55-year-old had worked as a mechanic on the 157ft yacht for 10 years. He said he closed the boat’s fuel valves before trying to sink it, in order to avoid polluting the water, and he warned other crew members.

Weapons trade

Mr Mikheev has been chief executive of JSC Rosoboronexport, the state intermediary for Russia's export and import of weapons, since 2017, according to the company's website. JSC Rosoboronexport is one of many Russian companies that have been the target of sanctions by the EU and other countries since the invasion of Ukraine. However, the civil guard has not confirmed whether Mr Mikheev is the owner of Lady Anastasia.

Mr Ostapchuk was freed with charges after appearing in court, and he told Spanish media he planned to travel back immediately to Ukraine in order to join those who are fighting the invading Russian army.

“My plan is to fight them,” he told El País newspaper. “I don’t know how I’m going to fight because I’ve never done it before.” He added: “I’ve never served in the army, I’m a sailor. But yes, I am willing to fight against them.”

He was due to take a flight from Barcelona to Warsaw on Monday, from where he planned to cross the border into Ukraine by train or bus. He said his family had left Kyiv and were in a safe place.