A Ukrainian sailor has been arrested in Palma, capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca (Majorca), after attempting to sink the 48-metre Lady Anastasia in Port Adriano, Majorca.
The yacht is owned by Alexander Mikheev, the chief executive officer of Rosoboron Export, a Russian weapons exporter, and is reported to be registered under the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is ranked among the top 20 leading fleets of the world by flag registration.
According to media reports in Palma, the man in question is 55-year-old Ukrainian national Taras Ostapchuk, who had been the chief engineer on Lady Anastasia for more than a decade.
Ostapchuk told local reporters that the yacht was owned by the chief executive of a Russian military weapons company and that his actions had been triggered by footage of a Russian missile hitting apartments in Kyiv, Ukraine, amid the ongoing conflict.
It was reported that Ostapchuk opened several valves in the engine room of the boat that caused a leak and warned the crew to abandon the vessel.
“One newspaper in Palma reported that Ostapchuk told the court, “There was a video of a helicopter attack on a building in Kyiv, the Russians are killing innocents. I don’t regret anything I’ve done and I would do it again.”
Ostapchuk was released pending an investigation and after his release he said he would fly to Poland and head to Ukraine to fight against the Russians, according to local newspaper Ultima Hora.
“I’m a middle-aged man, but I have a lot of experience as a mechanic,” he said. “I’ve never held a weapon, but if necessary I will,” he told the newspaper.”
According to Boat International Media, a definitive guide to luxury yachts and the yachting lifestyle worldwide, Lady Anastasia is currently sailing under the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag , along with a total of other 118 yachts, and is last reported to be moored at superyacht marina Port Adriano, in Spain.
The luxury yacht is on sale for $7.2 million and has been on the market since April, 2021. (Sources include: Bloomberg, The Journal)