Ukrainian Sailor Tried to Sink Yacht Belonging to His Boss, a Russian Oligarch: Reports
Alexander A. Mikheev
A Ukrainian sailor has admitted to partially sinking a luxury yacht owned by his boss, a Russian oligarch, in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, according to multiple reports.
The sailor attempted to sink the 157-foot-long Lady Anastasia, owned by Russian businessman Alexander Mikheev, in Mallorca, Spain, according to the BBC.
The yacht worker was identified as Taras Ostapchuk, the Associated Press reported.
Mikheev's ship was docked when the sailor reportedly opened the valves to Lady Anastasia's engine room. He was arrested on Saturday and released on bail, the BBC reported.
The employee reportedly said he tried to sink the ship after seeing footage of a helicopter attacking a building in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after Russia launched a war in the country last week.
"They were attacking innocents," he told local outlets, according to the BBC, adding that he would attempt to sink the yacht again if given the chance.
Mikheev, 61, is the head of Rosoboronexport, a company that specializes in exporting weapons, such as tanks, ships, weapons and ammunition.
Rosoboronexport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Ostapchuk, 55, who was a chief engineer on the yacht, believed the missile that damaged the Kyiv building was made by Rosoboronexport, Vice reported.
"He regards the owner of the yacht as a criminal because he earns money selling arms that, according to him, kill Ukrainians," a judge wrote of Ostapchuk after an interrogation, according to documents viewed by the AP.
After leaving jail, Ostapchuk told the AP that he planned to travel to Ukraine to help defend the country from Russian troops.
"All Ukrainian citizens must be defenders of our fatherland because it is being subject to Russian aggression," he said.
"We must stop this war," Ostapchuk added.
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Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after the country invaded on Thursday, with forces moving from the north, south and east. Details of the attack and the fighting change by the day, but this is the first major land conflict in Europe in decades — and hundreds have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Thousands more people have fled or tried to escape Ukraine amid warnings of a possible "refugee crisis."
"You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE recently of the moment her city was bombed.
"This is just panic," she said.
The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn widespread condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia. Various countries have also pledged aid or military support to Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has pleaded for peace talks while urging his country to resist.
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Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the interest of so-called "peacekeeping."
"The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine," President Joe Biden said as the invasion began in force in February.
Over the weekend, Putin ordered Russian deterrence forces, which include its nuclear weapons, to a heightened state of readiness.
U.S. officials told The New York Times that America's alert level for its nuclear forces has not changed, indicating a deliberate decision to avoid further escalation.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
