Ukrainian sailor accused of trying to sink his Russian boss' yacht says he is now going to Kyiv to fight

• A Ukrainian sailor was accused of trying to sink his Russian boss' yacht in Mallorca, Spain.
• Taras Ostapchuk told Ultima Hora on Monday he planned to go to Kyiv to fight the Russian invasion.

A Ukrainian soldier accused of trying to sink the yacht of his Russian boss told Spanish media he was returning to his home country to help fight the Russian invasion.

Taras Ostapchuk, 54, was arrested on suspicion of sabotaging an $8 million luxury yacht where he worked in Mallorca, Spain, over the weekend, Ultima Hora reported.

The vessel belonged to Alexander Mijeev, the CEO of Rosoboronexport, a military weapons company owned by Rostec, Russia's biggest defense conglomerate.

In court testimony, Ostapchuk, who had worked on the yacht for nearly 10 years, told Spanish authorities he had acted out of "revenge," Ultima Hora reported.

The sailor told Ultima Hora on Monday that he planned to take a flight to Warsaw, Poland, that afternoon, to transfer to Kyiv via bus or train. Many airlines suspended flights to Russia in light of the invasion.

"As soon as I reach the first city in Ukraine I will look for a military commander and ask him if I am needed," he told Ultima Hora.

"Yes, it is true, I had a good job as a chief mechanic on the ship and a good salary, but I am going to fight for my country."

"I said to myself: Why do I need a job if I don't have my country?" he added.

Ostapchuk also said that even though he was an "old" man, he had "a lot of experience" in mechanics. "I have never picked up a gun but if I have to, I will. Why not?" he added.

It is unclear whether Ostapchuk has since reached Ukraine.

According to Ultima Hora, Ostapchuk took full responsibility for trying to sink the yacht, named the Lady Anastasia.

He handed himself to police and was arrested before being released on Sunday with a charge, the newspaper reported. His charge is not clear. It was also not clear whether his leaving Spain posed a legal risk.

He told a Spanish court on Sunday he tried to sink to the yacht by opening one valve in the engine room and another in the crew quarters, while telling everyone aboard to abandon ship, Ultima Hora reported.

Upon his arrest, he told Spanish authorities: "The owner of this ship is a criminal who makes his living selling weapons and now they kill Ukrainians," Ultima Hora reported.

It is not clear if Rosoboronexport — the weapons company owned by Ostapchuk's boss — or its parent company Rostec had a role in the Ukraine invasion, though Rostec was sanctioned by the UK and US last week.

"I don't regret anything I've done, and I would do it again," Ostapchuk told the court on Sunday, according to Ultima Hora.