Monaco Bombing Suspect Found Shot Dead Near Kyiv
The main suspect in last week’s bombing in Monaco that seriously injured a Ukrainian-born businessman has been found shot dead near Kyiv, in a dramatic escalation of a case that now implicates Ukrainian military intelligence, according to The Guardian.
Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head on the evening of Monday, July 6. Ukrainian prosecutors confirmed her death on Tuesday and announced the arrest of two men — a serving officer of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and a former law enforcement officer — in connection with her killing.
The Monaco Attack
The case began on June 29, when a backpack containing an explosive device was left in the lobby of a residential building in Monaco’s La Rousse district. The bomb was detonated remotely as a family passed by, seriously injuring Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev (58), his partner Anna Nasobina (46), and their 13-year-old son. Nasobina required the amputation of both legs.
Berezovska allegedly disguised herself as a man — wearing a black bucket hat, dark long-sleeved top, and light-colored shorts — to plant the device. Monaco’s Deputy Prosecutor Morgan Raymond described the bomb as “relatively sophisticated” and suggested the suspect did not act alone, as Al Jazeera reported.
After the attack, Berezovska fled on foot into France, then traveled by car through Italy and Germany. Interpol issued a Red Notice for her on July 3, seeking her arrest on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place, and criminal conspiracy.
A Killing Near Kyiv
Just three days after the Red Notice was issued, Berezovska’s body was found near the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian prosecutors stated that she had received cryptocurrency payments from the two arrested men, leading investigators to treat them as “individuals potentially involved in the attempted murder in Monaco.”
The HUR officer confessed to killing Berezovska along with the other suspect, claiming he was acting on his own initiative without informing his superiors. Prosecutors also released footage showing a blood-stained room containing hammers and other equipment, described as a “torture chamber,” discovered during searches of the men’s properties, according to Metro.
The Guardian noted it could not independently verify the prosecutors’ account.
The Victim: Vadym Yermolaiev
Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian construction tycoon who made his fortune in real estate and infrastructure, received Cypriot citizenship in 2019. Ukraine placed him on its sanctions list in December 2023 for maintaining business ties with Russian entities operating in Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. He has lived in Monaco since at least 2021 and is part of a group of wealthy Ukrainian businessmen and politicians that independent Ukrainian media labeled the “Monaco battalion.”
Yermolaiev claims he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago.
Geopolitical Fallout
The case poses significant reputational risks for Ukraine, coming at a particularly sensitive time. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at a NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday seeking to shore up Western military and financial support while Russia continues its deadly bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
Any evidence linking Ukrainian intelligence services to a bombing on European soil could be deeply damaging to Ukraine’s international standing. As The Independent noted, the case emerges shortly after German prosecutors accused Ukrainian “state authorities” of ordering the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
Prince Albert II of Monaco previously condemned the bombing as “an odious act” and said all the principality’s security services had been mobilized.
Unanswered Questions
Several critical questions remain unanswered. Who ordered the Monaco bombing, and was Berezovska acting alone, for a criminal organization, or on behalf of a state actor? Why was she killed — to silence her, as a falling out among conspirators, or as an extrajudicial operation? And crucially, were the HUR officer’s claims of acting independently credible?
Monaco’s deputy prosecutor said last week that the suspected attacker fled the principality on foot into neighboring France before traveling by car to Germany via several European countries, including Italy. Ukraine has carried out numerous lethal operations involving explosive devices against Russian targets, but these have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.
What to Watch For
The investigation will now focus on whether Ukrainian intelligence was officially involved in the Monaco bombing, and how this case will affect Ukraine’s diplomatic position at the NATO summit and beyond. Monaco may also pursue extradition of the arrested HUR officer, and the full extent of Berezovska’s network remains to be uncovered.
As the Jerusalem Post reported, the case adds a dramatic and politically charged twist to an already shocking attack that rattled the wealthy Mediterranean principality.