Speaking from his hospital bed on Wednesday, October 15, Pichugin, 46, recounted the ordeal after being rescued by a fishing vessel off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula.
Originally from Ulan-Ude in Siberia, Pichugin had been working as a driver on the island of Sakhalin.
On August 9, he set out from the Khabarovsk region with his brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, on what was supposed to be a short boat trip to Sakhalin. When the trio failed to arrive, a search operation was launched, but no trace of the boat was found, and the search was eventually abandoned.
Pichugin was discovered around 1,000 kilometers (670 miles) from where the journey began. From his hospital bed in Magadan, he gave a brief account of how he survived the treacherous Sea of Okhotsk.
“With God’s help, how else?” he said, smiling as he mentioned the boat that rescued him, aptly named Angel. Pichugin explained that he survived by collecting rainwater and staying warm with a sleeping bag made of camel hair, which helped retain heat even when wet.
Motivated by thoughts of his mother and daughter, Pichugin managed to endure the ordeal. Local authorities confirmed that his condition was “satisfactory” and offered to cover the costs of his return home and his family’s travel expenses.
His wife, Yekaterina, described his survival as “a kind of miracle,” noting that they had only packed enough food and water for two weeks. By the time he was rescued, Pichugin had lost nearly half of his body weight, dropping from 100kg (220 pounds) to 50kg.
Russian television highlighted that the men did not carry a satellite phone, the only reliable means of communication in the remote Sea of Okhotsk. Authorities plan to hold a press briefing after completing their investigation into the incident.
