Shocking new footage has emerged showing the moment a bomb exploded outside a luxury apartment complex in Monaco on June 29, seriously wounding property tycoon Vadym Ermolaev, his mistress Anna Nasobina, and their 13-year-old son.
Footage details
The footage, recovered by Ukraine's Security Service, captures the botched assassination attempt. The bomber, believed to be 39-year-old Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, is seen placing a bag just outside the building's entrance. She then walks away, as Ermolaev and his family approach. The attacker turns to watch, and a huge blast is seen. In the aftermath, the bomber picks up a camera recording the footage and flees.
According to Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko, the footage was recorded by a surveillance camera installed by those behind the attack to confirm the bombing. Ukrainian authorities said the would-be assassin tried to delete the footage, but investigators recovered the clip.
Injuries and aftermath
Ermolaev and Nasobina, 46, suffered severe burns, with Nasobina having her legs amputated. Their son was also wounded. Ermolaev said the blast was "powerful enough to tear apart steel railings and destroy the stone steps outside our home." He described his partner's injuries as "catastrophic and irreversible" and his son's as "burns, fractures and severe trauma."
Ermolaev stated: "I remain in intensive care and am only now beginning the long process of recovery. This was not a warning. It was an attempt to kill not only me, but my family as well."
Suspect and arrests
Interpol identified Berezovska as the prime suspect, but she was found dead near Kyiv on July 6, just days after the blast. Ukrainian authorities have since arrested two men suspected of killing her: Vladyslav Reut, an officer with the GUR (Ukraine's military spy agency), and Vitalii Zhykovych, an ex-agent of the SBU (Ukraine's security service). Both have been charged with her murder and deny any wrongdoing.
Ermolaev alleged that "serving officers of the main intelligence directorate of the military of defence of Ukraine" organised the bombing. However, he did not provide evidence establishing that the agency's leadership ordered or approved the attack, and Ukraine's military intelligence agency has denied the allegation.
