Angry Ukrainian Exacts Revenge on Russian Boss’s Superyacht, and There’s a ‘Rest of the Story’ at Play – Opinion

Taras Ostapchuk can be angry. The 55-year-old is also a brave-as-hell Ukrainian patriot who decided to exact his own kind of revenge on Vladimir Putin’s Russia for its brutal invasion of his country. To that end, he partially sunk his Russian tycoon boss’s $7.7 million luxury superyacht in Spain on Saturday.

The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that Ostapchuck (a seaman on the yacht) was taken into police custody for allegedly opening valves in an attempt to deliberately flood the vessel measuring 156 feet. This caused severe damage to its engine room. Named after the luxury yacht Lady Anastasia,Russian businessman Alexander Mijeev owns the Russian company Rosoboronexport.

Ukrainian sailor sinks Russian boss’s $7.7 million luxury superyacht https://t.co/HYRqtRaF63 pic.twitter.com/X9dlf3enTy

— New York Post (@nypost) February 28, 2022

When officers arrived to arrest Ostapchuk, as reported by The New York Post, he allegedly said: “My boss is a criminal who sells weapons that kill the Ukrainian people.” The former crew member, a mechanic on the yacht for more than ten years, told the court his boss’s company produced armaments used in the attack:

The news coverage about the war was fascinating. A helicopter attacked a Kyiv building. The armaments used are produced by the yacht owner’s company. They targeted innocent people.

Unrepentant, Ostapchuck told the judge he didn’t regret his actions and “would do it again.”

Ostapchuck was released from custody, and promptly left Spain — on a mission:

I’m going to fight. Once I get to the first Ukrainian town, I’ll look for a commander in military and ask him whether they require me. It was a promise I made to 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.’

My country is not at risk. 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!”

“I’ve never held a weapon but if necessary I will. Why not!”

This is an amazing statement and a remarkable profile of courage. Can you imagine, despite our often profound, ignorant, and bitter differences — hell, just with the Republican Party — an America in which ordinary citizens are left with what Mr. Ostapchuk now appears to view as his only remaining option? It’s impossible. Unless you’re a card-carrying “prepper,” that is — a whole different level of crazy.

Then again, I cannot imagine decent Americans defending, rationalizing, and attacking other decent Americans for condemning Donald Trump’s CPAC declaration, “America is stupid.” But, hey — perhaps I’m not “smart enough” to understand the deep, intellectual “context” of what Donald meant.

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