Anastasiia Berezovska, the 39-year-old suspect in a Monaco bombing that injured sanctioned tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev and his family, has been found shot dead in Ukraine. A Ukrainian military intelligence officer confessed to her murder, claiming he acted on his own initiative. The officer and an accomplice were detained after financial transfers to Berezovska were discovered. The case raises difficult questions for Kyiv over its intelligence services' actions on European soil.
Monaco bombing incident
- ▪A parcel bomb exploded in an apartment building entrance in Monaco on June 29, 2026
- ▪The bombing targeted Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner, and his 13-year-old son, injuring all three
- ▪According to Monaco's deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond, Anastasiia Berezovska was "disguised as a man" during the attack
- ▪Interpol issued a Red Notice for 39-year-old Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, identifying her as the main suspect
Suspect death in Ukraine
- ▪Anastasiia Berezovska, the suspect in the Monaco bombing, was found dead in Ukraine with gunshot wounds to the head
- ▪Berezovska had returned to Ukraine on July 1, 2026, two days after the Monaco attack
Ukrainian intelligence involvement
- ▪Two men, a current Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) officer and a former law enforcement officer, were detained for Berezovska's murder
- ▪During a search of the former law enforcement officer's home, authorities discovered a basement room described as resembling a torture chamber
- ▪The active intelligence officer confessed to killing Berezovska and claimed he acted on his own initiative without informing his superiors
- ▪The two men were investigated after it was found they had repeatedly transferred money and cryptocurrency to Berezovska's accounts
Victim sanctions history
- ▪Independent Ukrainian media have referred to Vadym Yermolaiev as part of the "Monaco battalion," a group of wealthy Ukrainians living there since Russia's 2022 invasion
- ▪In 2023, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on Vadym Yermolaiev for alleged business activities in Russian-occupied Crimea
- ▪Vadym Yermolaiev is a wealthy Cypriot citizen who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 and has lived in Monaco since 2022
- ▪President Volodymyr Zelensky justified the sanctions as targeting those who collaborate with Russia's "terrorist state."
Political implications for Kyiv
- ▪The involvement of a Ukrainian intelligence officer could be politically damaging for Kyiv as it seeks Western support at a NATO summit
- ▪Prince Albert II of Monaco condemned the bombing as "an odious act" and mobilized all public services to ensure security
- ▪Ukrainian authorities stated they have shared all available information with Monaco and the investigation has the "personal assistance" of intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko
European security precedent
- ▪The bombing was characterized as the first bomb assassination attempt ever recorded in Monaco
- ▪German prosecutors have previously accused Ukrainian "state authorities" of ordering the 2022 explosives attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines
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