A Ukrainian sailor tried to sink a yacht owned by a Russian arms dealer. (Representative Image)
A Ukrainian sailor was arrested on Saturday for trying to sink a luxury yacht that belongs to his Russian boss. Taras Ostapchuk, 55, reportedly opened valves in the engine room of the 156-foot vessel in an attempt to flood it as a form of protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The yacht was docked at Mallorca in Spain when Mr Ostapchuk, a ship engineer, tried to sink it, reports BBC.
He was arrested by Spain's Civil Guard on Saturday and appeared in court on Sunday, where he told the judge he did not regret his actions.
"I don't regret anything I've done and I would do it again," the Ukrainian said, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. He said his boss is "a criminal who sells weapons that kill the Ukrainian people."
The Lady Anastasia is a 156-foot yacht that belongs to Alexander Mijeev, the CEO of Rosoboronexport. The company exports Russian defence products like weapons, ships, tanks and fighting vehicles.
During his court appearance, Mr Ostapchuk - who worked on the vessel for 10 years - said he acted after watching coverage of the war on television. "I watched the news about the war. There was a video of a helicopter attack on a building in Kyiv. The armaments used are produced by the yacht owner's company. They were attacking innocents," he told the judge.
On Saturday, a Russian missile hit apartment buildings in Ukraine's Kyiv, which reportedly spurred Mr Ostapchuk to seek revenge by sinking the yacht he worked on. He asked his coworkers to abandon the ship after opening a valve in the engine room. According to The New York Post, the yacht is estimated to be worth a whopping $7.7 million. There was significant damage to its engine room.
After being released on bail, Mr Ostapchuk has left Spain for his home country, where he intends to join the fight against Russia.
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