Taras Ostapchuk tried to sink the $7.7 million yacht of his boss Saturday as it was docked at the Spanish island of Mallorca (also called ...
Taras Ostapchuk tried to sink the $7.7 million yacht of his boss Saturday as it was docked at the Spanish island of Mallorca (also called Majorca) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Police came, Ostapchuk confessed to what he did, and then he was released.
It all seems a bit strange. But there’s more to the story.
Ostapchuk is Ukranian. For ten years, he has been a mechanic on the five-cabin, 156-foot Lady Anastasia.
His boss, yacht owner Alexander Mijeev, heads Rosoboronexport, a Russian weapons company.
Incensed by watching a video report of a helicopter attack using rockets made by Mijeev’s company against a Ukranian apartment building similar to one Ostapchuk has, he decided to take action — sink Mijeev’s yacht, Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
So he returned to the Lady Anastasia two hours after watching the report, according to Asia Radar.
In a move that would make proud John Kerry, who has voiced concern about the impact of the Ukranian war on the planet’s environment, Ostapchuk closed the yacht’s fuel valves to keep fuel from polluting the sea. He then opened a large valve in the engine room and another valve in the crew’s quarters.
Ostapchuk told fellow Ukranian crew members to leave Lady Anastasia and said he would accept full responsibility.
But the Ukranian crew, joined by port workers, tried to stop the leak Ostapchuk caused. Yet, the yacht partially sank, according to The New York Post.
Police came and took Ostapchuk into custody. He was unrepentant, telling a judge he had no regrets and that he “would do it again.”
Released from custody, Ostapchuk said he was on his way to Ukraine.
“I’m going to fight. As soon as I reach the first Ukrainian city, I will look for a military commander and ask him if they need me,” Ostapchuk said, according to the Post.
“I told myself: ‘Why do I need a job if I have my country. I had a good job as a head mechanic on the boat and a good salary, but I am going to fight for my nation.”
”I am not going to lose my country. I am not a hero, I’m a middle-aged man, but I have a lot of experience as a mechanic.”
“I’ve never held a weapon, but if necessary, I will. Why not!”
Ostapchuk is not alone. While some flee Ukraine, The Guardian reports that others are returning to their country to fight against the Russians.
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