A Ukrainian man has appeared in court in Spain after attempting to sink a massive yacht belonging to a Russian oligarch, who is also the man's boss.
The 55-year-old Ukrainian boat mechanic, named only as D. Taras O., who works in Mallorca, the island on which the boat is stationed, said he did not regret his actions and that given the Russian invasion of Ukraine he was justified in attempting to sink the ship. Given the chance, he also said he would do it again.
He apparently told the court:
"I don't regret anything I've done and I would do it again."
"My boss is a criminal who sells weapons that kill the Ukrainian people. The armaments used are produced by the yacht owner's company. They were attacking innocents."
The 155-foot-long Lady Anastasia ship is owned by Russian billionaire oligarch Alexander Mikheev, the CEO of Russian arms company Rosoboronexport.
Angered by the invasion, the boat mechanic opened large valves on the ship in order to let in water and sink it. He then told all crew members to abandon ship. However, the boat did not sink.
A Ukrainian sailor in Mallorca opened the valves & "partially sank" a €7m yacht belonging to the director of Russia's arms exporter.
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) February 27, 2022
After he explained it was in retaliation for Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, a judge released him pending trial. https://t.co/yCYkOEY6Mw pic.twitter.com/aOgwaAxLng
It is unclear how long a sentence the man may face if the court finds him guilty.
Russia's oligarchs have faced a huge list of sanctions following the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by the Russia Army, meaning that these billionaires can no longer access much of their money and assets held in the Western world. It is hoped the sanctions will push Russia towards leaving Ukraine, or undermine the Russian economy, and make it much more difficult for them to finance and carry out the war.
Russia's central bank has also been sanctioned and Russia has been removed from the SWIFT international payments system. On top of this many businesses such as MasterCard and Visa say they will no longer operate in the country. In response, Russian interest rates have doubled, and the value of the rouble has collapsed. The Russian stock market remains closed at present, but when it opens again all stocks are expected to collapse.
[Based on reporting by: Greek reporter]
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