A man named Mikhail Pichugin, hailed as a hero for enduring 67 days at sea surrounded by deceased family members, is now facing potential jail time for the deaths of his nephew and brother during the ill-fated voyage.
Originally from Russia, Pichugin, aged 45, found himself stranded in the sea of Okhotsk after his 15ft inflatable boat’s engine malfunctioned, leaving him to fight for survival for over two months.
Pichugin was dubbed a hero in Russia a mere few months ago when he was found close to death after drifting hundreds of miles in the Sea of Okhotsk.
But now he faces up to seven years jail for allegedly causing their deaths on an adventure trip to watch whales in their natural habitat.
When rescuers discovered Pichugin on his small vessel, they also found the lifeless bodies of his nephew Ilya, 16, who tragically perished due to starvation, and the boy’s father, 49-year-old Sergei Pichugin.
The family members were returning from a whale-watching trip near the remote Shantar Islands when their motor stopped working 37 miles from shore.
Ilya “had hardly eaten” and “died of starvation,” according to Mash media, citing Mikhail’s account to his rescuers.
It added: “After that his father went crazy – Sergei was crying, screaming and jumping into the water.
“Mikhail pulled him out of the water, warmed him up, tried to feed him, but he refused to do so, and after 10 days he also died.”
But now prosecutors have gone after Mikhail, accusing him of violating the rules of sea transport, and consequently causing the death of his brother and nephew.
Instead of being a witness in a criminal case, he has been made the suspect due to his alleged failure to comply with rules.
The whale-watcher survivor said in what appears to be a confession: “As a result of my violations of navigation, my brother Sergei and his son Ilya died.”
His inflatable boat apparently shouldn’t have gone more than three kilometres – less than two miles – from the coast.
When the engine broke he was 37 miles from the shore, reports claim.
Pichugin only survived the lack of food on board because he was overweight, reports said at the time.
He added: “I lost my relatives, it’s hard for me.
“They also want to put me in jail.
“I understand that I violated the law.
“I sailed too far from the shore.”
But Pichugin made it clear that his brother and nephew “died not because I went too far out to sea but due to a combination of circumstances”.
Previously, it was revealed that Pichugin covered the two bodies and tied them to the vessel to prevent them from going overboard.
As his vessel drifted at least 625 miles over 67 days, Pichugin lost 50kg, about half of his body weight.
He revealed that he survived only on the rainwater he collected, soaked dried peas, and freeze-fried noodles.
Despite this, Pichugin’s condition was described as “satisfactory” when he arrived at the hospital at the time, which experts called a double miracle.
“There are two real miracles here,” said Dmitry Lisitsyn, the head of Sakhalin Environment Watch, in October.
“The first is that such a small, uncontrolled boat was not capsized in the stormy autumn Sea of Okhotsk after more than two months of drifting.
“The second is that someone on this boat survived.”
When asked if he had any wishes, the whale watcher said it was “to be discharged from hospital and get home to bury my brother and nephew.”
