Ukrainian crew member who tried to sink a yacht linked to an oligarch: ‘It was my first step for the war with Russia’

CNN — For 10 years, Taras Ostapchuk worked at what many might consider a dream job, as the chief engineer for the Lady Anastasia, a luxurious 156-foot yacht that cruised mostly from one upscale port to another across the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. “It was my first step for the war with Russia.” In an interview with CNN from Ukraine, Ostapchuk, 55, said he connected the destruction in his home city straight to the man he calls the owner of the Lady Anastasia: Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheev. And you could pull the wall away and inside there were beds, emergency communications, a bathroom, and CCTV.” The yacht called "Lady Anastasia" reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Alexander Mikheyev is seen at Port Adriano in the Spanish island of Mallorca, Spain March 15, 2022. You have to choose, will there be a Ukraine, or will you have a job… I don’t need a job if I don’t have Ukraine.” Before he tried to sink the Lady Anastasia as a protest against Russia's war on Ukraine, Taras Ostapchuk served as the yacht's chief engineer for a decade. The seafarers union Nautilus International held a question-and-answer session with yacht professionals earlier this month and received questions such as, “Should we be resigning from all Russian yachts?” and “What am I owed if I’m dismissed/laid off due to sanctions on my vessel?” Union representatives counseled members to check the terms of their contracts.