Taras Ostapchuk

Taras Ostapchuk, back in Ukraine.

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterKyiv02/03/2022 08:36
TW
1

Taras Ostapchuk, the 55-year-old Ukrainian who attempted to sink the yacht that belongs to Russian military weapons businessman Alexander Mijeev, is back in Ukraine.

He took a flight to Zurich on Monday and then to Warsaw. By late Tuesday afternoon he was on the train to Kyiv, where his son was waiting for him. "I am going to fight for my country. I have never picked up a gun, but if necessary I will."

He explained that he intended to contact a military commander and ask if they need him. "I said to myself: why do I need a job if I don't have my country? It's true that I had a good job as chief mechanic on the yacht and a good salary, but I'm going to fight for my country. I've lost my job, but that's not a problem. I will not lose my country. I am not a hero, I am an old man, but I have a lot of experience in mechanics. I have never picked up a gun, but if necessary I will. Why not?"