Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ukraine sailor who tried to sink Russian boss’s £5m luxury yacht has ‘no regrets and would do it again’

Man says he would ‘do it again’ after trying to flood boat

Matt Mathers
Monday 28 February 2022 15:03 GMT
Comments
Ukraine delegates arrive at Belarus border for peace talks

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Ukrainian sailor who tried to sink his Russian boss's luxury yacht in Spain says he has "no regrets" and would "do it again".

He was arrested after attempting to flood the vessel, anchored in Pord Adriano in Majorca, days after the war broke out.

Lady Anastasia is a 156-foot-long boat with five cabins and is owned by Alexander Mijeev, a former head of the Russian Helicopter Corporation.

In 2016, he took over Rostec, a Russian state-owned weapons supplier.

The man, who has not been named, allegedly opened the ship’s valves causing it to partially sink, Spain’s Balearic Island newspaper Ultima Hora reported on Sunday.

He opened one valve in the engine room and a second where the crew lives and allegedly asked three other crew members, also Ukrainians, to abandon the ship.

He also turned off the fuel valves and switched off the electricity on the ship.

Later when the civil guards came to arrest him, he said: “The owner of this ship is a criminal who makes his living selling weapons and now they kill Ukrainians.”

He was arrested, appeared in court and later released by the judge, after saying he only meant to cause material harm to Mr Mijeev and that it was not personal.

Map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)

"I don't regret anything I've done and I would do it again," he reportedly said upon his release.

Fighting continued in several cities across Ukraine on Monday as the Russian invasion entered day five.

Outgunned but determined Ukrainian troops have slowed Russia's advance and, for now, have held onto the capital and other key cities.

In the face of stiff resistance and devastating sanctions Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, ordered his nuclear forces to put on high alert, threatening to elevate the war to a terrifying new level.

Both sides were scheduled to meet at the Belarus border on Monday morning for initial peace talks, although there was little optimism of a breakthrough in either Moscow or Kyiv.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in