The Ukrainian sailor who tried to sink a Russian military supplier’s £5million-plus yacht in Mallorca after war broke out has returned home to take on Vladimir Putin’s army.
Mechanical engineer Taras Ostapchuk, 55, said he attempted to scuttle the 156ft Lady Anastasia owned by millionaire Alexander Mijeev, after seeing pictures of missiles hitting apartment blocks.
Mijeev, is a former head of the Russian Helicopter Corporation who took over state-owned weapons supplier Rostec six years ago and Taras told cops he had tried to sink the Mallorca moored yacht out of revenge.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Taras shared a picture of himself as he crossed into Ukraine from Poland at the Rawa Ruska border point, heading to his home in Kyiv where he plans to sign up.
He said: ‘Politics is a thing that changes quickly and so when last week I saw the video of the Russian helicopter shooting missiles at a civilian house in Kyiv I knew I had to do something.
‘I know that Mijeev is the person responsible for making these helicopters and after I saw that video, I thought I have a house like that and it may be hit by a missile so I wanted to take action.
‘What I do want to say is that Mijeev was a good employer and I have no complaints about working for him – it was just the situation with Russia that wound me up.’
Mechanical engineer Taras Ostapchuk, 55, the Ukrainian sailor who tried to sink a Russian military supplier’s £5million-plus yacht in Mallorca after war broke out has returned home to take on Vladimir Putin’s army
The Ukrainian mechanical engineer sank the Lady Anastasia in Mallorca’s Port Adriano following Moscow’s invasion of his homeland because he claims his Russian boss Alexander Mijeev sells weapons to Putin
The yacht (pictured), called the Lady Anastasia, is worth at least £5million and is currently in the Mediterranean
Taras was Mijeev’s member of staff and had worked for him for several years – but told police who turned up to arrest him: ‘I don’t regret anything I’ve done and I would do it again’, adding: ‘My boss is a criminal who sells weapons that kill the Ukrainian people.’
Taras explained how he asked for his salary to be paid in advance and then decided to sink the yacht by releasing valves which allowed water to rush in as it was moored at Port Adriano.
The yacht was left partially submerged but still tied to its moorings. When the police arrived he is said to have been waiting next to the boat as it went down and reportedly told a Civil Guard: ‘My boss is a criminal who sells weapons that kill the Ukrainian people.’
He told MailOnline: ‘I knew the water wasn’t very deep there – maybe six metres so the yacht would maybe sink only 2.5 metres, enough for water to go into the main rooms but it would not sink to the bottom because it is too shallow.
‘I’m a sailor and I knew those onboard would have time to collect their possessions and try and save the yacht. They did their duty, as any good sailor would do and then they raised the alarm which is when the police arrived.
‘They asked who sank the ship and I said it was me and that it was a political act against Putin’s regime. They put me in jail and I spent the night there and they took my laces and possessions away but I was fed well and I have no complaints against the Spanish authorities.’
Ostapchuk scuppered the vessel belonging to Alexander Mijeev (pictured), a former head of the Russian Helicopter Corporation who took over state-owned weapons supplier Rostec six years ago, in Mallorca
The 156ft luxury yacht, named Lady Anastasia, was moored at Pord Adriano when it was scuppered
Following the incident last Saturday, Taras appeared in court on Monday but was bailed by a judge pending a further investigation and he flew out of Mallorca via Zurich and Warsaw.
He added: ‘The judge said she didn’t see any reason for me to stay in jail and that as far as she was concerned no crime had been committed and let me go. I decided to fly straight back to Ukraine so I could join in the defence of my country.
‘It’s the least I can do in the face of what Putin and Russia is doing but if I have to go back to Spain to face a civil case because I sank the yacht I will go back and fight it.
‘I am a man of respectable age, but I am full of strength and my mind is still not weakened. I hope to get a position in the Ukrainian navy, any in fact. I have experience in managing various ships, including American ones.’
The three other crew members had no idea of the plot until Taras is alleged to have rushed in and told them to abandon ship saying: ‘Don’t worry because I will take all the blame’.
Taras said: ‘When I landed in Warsaw some other Ukrainian guys on the plane recognised me and they said they would give me a lift to the border and when I crossed one of the guards wanted to have his picture taken with me because he recognised my name as well.’
The 156ft luxury yacht (pictured), named Lady Anastasia, was moored at Pord Adriano when it was flooded by the Ukrainian engineer
The ship has five luxury cabins (pictured). The damage to the vessel is not yet known
The unrepentant sailor on Saturday told island paper Ultima Hora he would catch a flight to Poland from Mallorca immediately before getting on a train or bus to the Ukrainian capital.
He told the paper: ‘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.
‘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’.
Speaking of the TV footage he was watching on a Spanish news channel that led to him allegedly carrying out the attack on Lady Anastasia, he added: ‘I live in a very similar building.
‘From my window I can see the Ukrainian parliament. I was wondering what’s had happened to my house when I saw the footage because its in a very similar position.’
