Monaco authorities are grappling with the complexities of an assassination attempt on Ukrainian-Cypriot businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner, and their 13-year-old son. The attack, which involved a remotely detonated explosive device placed in a backpack at the entrance of their home on June 29, resulted in injuries to all three. Surveillance footage identified Anastasia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national, as the perpetrator, who fled the French Riviera immediately after the bombing.
Berezovska's body was discovered on July 6 in a forest near Kyiv, having sustained gunshot wounds to the head. Two individuals with reported ties to Ukrainian intelligence services, Vladyslav Reut (formerly of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine) and Vitaliy Shykovych (formerly of the Security Service of Ukraine), have been arrested and charged with her murder. Investigators are exploring the possibility that Berezovska acted under their instructions, either knowingly or unknowingly, in carrying out the Monaco attack. There is speculation that the two men may have killed her to prevent exposure after the failed assassination attempt.
European media have suggested the Monaco attack might have been a covert operation by Ukrainian intelligence targeting Yermolaiev, who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a Cypriot citizen and has been sanctioned by Kyiv since 2023 due to his business interests in Russian-annexed Crimea. Yermolaiev, a real estate developer, was reportedly worth $230 million in 2020. The ongoing investigation involves authorities from Monaco, France, and Ukraine, along with Interpol, as they attempt to unravel the motive and who, if anyone, ordered the initial attack.
