Pichugin revealed the details of the deadly drift in the Sea of Okhotsk

Mikhail Pichugin, who violated the rules of operation of water transport in the Sea of Okhotsk on a catamaran boat "Baykat 470" and drifted for 67 days, told REN TV the details of the tragedy a year later.

It is noted that 67 days in the Sea of Okhotsk cost the lives of Pichugin's brother and nephew.

"My fault, my boat, I'm the captain," Pichugin admitted.

Netizens discussed what helped Mikhail survive. There were wild rumors, including accusations of cannibalism. In his first and only interview, Pichugin gives an answer to this painful question.

"On the 20th, the food ran out somewhere," Pichugin said.

The investigation has been completed, and now he faces not the fame of a survivalist, but a real prison sentence of up to seven years. The charge is based on hard facts: violation of the rules of operation of the vessel, which negligently resulted in the death of two people. But there are still questions that the investigation does not answer.

"I didn't realize what day we were at sea anymore," the survivor said.

Why did three adult men on a seemingly serviceable boat with a supply of provisions end up hundreds of kilometers from the shore? Was it a fatal combination of circumstances or a chain of criminal mistakes? The investigation believes that the ship's captain, Mikhail Pichugin, knew about the engine malfunction, used forged documents and deliberately took a deadly risk. So why was he the only one who survived?

"I dreamed of Seryozha Pichugin, and in my dream I stopped him and said, where are Mishka and Ilyushka?" said Ekaterina Pichugina, the man's ex—wife.

Why was a large-scale search operation not immediately successful and two helicopters flying directly over the boat did not notice them, why did the mother of the deceased teenager walk 350 km alone along the deserted shore?

"Just don't stop looking if they're waiting somewhere, hoping for help, but we're not looking for them," Ilya's mother Natalia Pichugina said.

In the REN TV documentary, Pichugin will talk about what was hidden behind the dry news reports, about the last birthday present that turned into a nightmare, about the moment when his brother decided to take his own life, and about how he himself fought for every breath on the verge of madness, thinking about his daughter. This film is not a story about a feat, it is a story about the price of recklessness, about guilt and forgiveness that may never come.

"Natalia, if you're watching this documentary, please forgive me for not saving your son," Pichugin said in the film.

The documentary film "Survivor in the Sea of Okhotsk. The incredible story of Mikhail Pichugin's Deadly Drift" will air on Saturday, October 25, at 16:55 on REN TV. This is Pichugin's first interview since the incident. The authors promise to answer questions about why the surviving man demanded to take the knife from his nephew and why his brother jumped overboard.

On October 15, 2024, fishermen discovered a boat in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk in Kamchatka, which disappeared on August 9. There was the only survivor, Mikhail Pichugin, and there were the bodies of two of his relatives, a brother and a nephew. Pichugin was taken to Magadan and hospitalized. After being discharged at the end of the same month, he returned to Buryatia. In January of this year, Pichugin confessed to violating the law. It was clarified that he had gone beyond the 3 km allowed by law from the coast. The investigators also charged the man with violating the rules of operation of a small vessel, resulting in the death of people.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.