A Ukrainian sailor, upset about Russia’s invasion of his homeland, just tried to scuttle a 156-foot yacht owned by a Russian oligarch in the harbor of Port Adriano in Mallorca.
The sailor, identified as Taras Ostapchuk, 55, was the chief engineer on the Lady Anastasia, a 476-ton superyacht owned by Alexander Mikheev, the CEO of a Russian arms export company and the former head of the Russian helicopter federation.
Ostapchuk got angry when he saw a video of Russian missiles hitting Kyiv, his home town. He thought that Mikheev’s company supplied the missiles to the Russians. He went below and opened valves in the engine room and the crew quarters, intending to scuttle the yacht. He also closed the fuel valves to prevent pollution, switched off the electricity, and told the crew to abandon ship.
Some members of the crew as well as port workers tried to keep the boat afloat; it was partially sunk.
Local police arrested Ostapchuk, who told the judge that he “regrets nothing” about his actions. He was released after a few hours. The local Civil Guard is continuing an investigation.
The Lady Anastasia was built by Sensation Yachts in New Zealand in 2001, and refit in 2018. It has five staterooms for ten guests plus quarters for nine crew. Read more:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3abjj8/ukraine-sailor-sink-russian-yacht
