Suspect in Monaco Bombing Found Dead in Ukraine
A woman suspected of carrying out a bomb attack in Monaco that seriously injured a Ukraine-born business tycoon has been found shot dead near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Tuesday. The suspect, Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, and two men have been arrested in connection with the case.
Berezovska was the subject of an Interpol red notice issued on Friday, requesting law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest her for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place, and criminal conspiracy. The attack occurred last week in Monaco, targeting a wealthy Ukrainian-born businessman.
Arrests and Torture Chamber Discovered
Ukrainian prosecutors stated that Berezovska received cryptocurrency payments from two men who were later arrested, leading investigators to treat them as “individuals potentially involved in the attempted murder in Monaco.” Among those arrested is an officer with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), who prosecutors said was “acting on his own initiative” and did not inform his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska. A former law enforcement officer was also detained.
Prosecutors released footage of a blood-stained “torture chamber” containing hammers and other equipment, discovered during searches of the men’s properties. The Guardian could not independently verify these claims.
Political Implications for Ukraine
The affair could prove politically costly for Kyiv. Any evidence linking members of Ukraine’s intelligence services to a bombing on European soil would be deeply damaging, especially as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at a Nato summit on Tuesday seeking to shore up western support amid Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
Prince Albert II of Monaco condemned the bombing as “an odious act” and said all the principality’s security services had been mobilised.
Victims and Suspect's Modus Operandi
The victims have not been officially identified, but police and judicial sources told French media they were Vadym Iermolaiev, 58, a businessman originally from Ukraine who now holds Cypriot citizenship, his girlfriend, and their son. Iermolaiev and his partner were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while the child sustained minor injuries.
French prosecutors allege Berezovska, who had been living in Germany, disguised herself as a man before placing an explosive device in the entrance hall of the family’s apartment building in Monaco. Monaco’s deputy prosecutor said last week that the suspected attacker fled on foot into neighbouring France before travelling by car to Germany via Italy and other European countries.
Background of the Victim
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Iermolaiev had been living in Monaco as part of a group of wealthy Ukrainian businessmen and politicians that independent Ukrainian media labelled the “Monaco battalion.” Ukraine imposed sanctions on Iermolaiev in 2023, alleging he had maintained business links with Russian entities operating in Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow, including Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Ukraine has carried out numerous lethal operations involving explosive devices against senior Russian military officers and Kremlin-backed Ukrainian officials inside Russia, but there is no established precedent for such attacks on European territory. Last week, German prosecutors accused Ukrainian “state authorities” of ordering the 2022 explosives attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia with Europe.
