Suspect in Monaco bombing found dead in Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that Anastasiia Berezovska, the prime suspect in a parcel bomb attack that injured a Ukrainian millionaire and his family in Monaco, has been found dead. It was reported that gunshot wounds to the head were detected on the body of the 39-year-old Berezovska. According to the SBU, Berezovska planted a bomb in the entrance hall of an apartment building in Monaco on 29 June before fleeing the wealthy city-state. The international manhunt launched following the incident was based on information that the suspect had traveled to Germany via Italy. Interpol issued a Red Notice to all countries, declaring the suspect who carried out the attack as a globally wanted fugitive.

Two suspects believed to be involved in the incident were detained, one of whom currently serves as an intelligence officer affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The SBU stated that Berezovska arrived in Ukraine on 1 July, two days after the attack, where she contacted the two suspects along with her family. These individuals were found to have transferred money to Berezovska's crypto and bank accounts multiple times, making them likely accomplices in the Monaco attack. The arrested intelligence officer confessed to killing Berezovska, stating that he carried this out together with "another suspect." Additionally, a basement resembling a torture chamber was discovered during a search of a former law enforcement officer's house.

Local media reported that the targeted individual in the attack was real estate developer Vadym Yermolaiev, who has significant interests in the wine and alcohol sectors in Crimea and is sanctioned by the Ukrainian government. Although Monaco authorities have not officially verified the identities of the victims, reports indicate that Yermolaiev, his partner, and his 13-year-old son survived the attack with injuries. Yermolaiev, ranked by Forbes magazine in 2020 as the 39th richest Ukrainian with a fortune of 230 million dollars, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a citizen of Cyprus. He had been placed on a sanctions list by the Kyiv government since 2023 due to his commercial activities in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Yermolaiev currently resides in Monaco.

Monaco's Deputy Prosecutor General Morgan Raymond stated that Berezovska surveilled her target's residence for days before the attack and "disguised herself as a man" during the incident. The explosion occurred just after 21:00 local time as the victims entered the building, injuring three people; two of them were reported to be in serious condition. Authorities raided an apartment in the state of Hesse following a tip-off that the suspect had fled to Italy and then to Germany in a rented vehicle. However, the suspect's body was eventually found in Ukraine, further complicating the case. The Monaco prosecutor's office emphasized that they shared all available information with Ukrainian authorities and were in close cooperation.

The Security Service of Ukraine stated that the investigation, conducted with the "personal assistance" of intelligence director Oleg Ivashchenko, is ongoing and that they are working to identify "other suspects" who may have been involved in the attack. The two detained suspects were arrested on suspicion of premeditated intentional murder orchestrated by a group of individuals. The SBU added that the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine is in close coordination with Monaco authorities and that all evidence is being shared internationally. These developments went down as a shocking incident that alarmed security units across both Europe and Ukraine, revealing the scale of international criminal networks.