Monaco bomb suspect found shot dead near Kyiv after international manhunt
Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, the Ukrainian woman sought by Interpol for the bomb attack on oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco last week, was discovered with gunshot wounds late Monday near the Ukrainian capital. Two men have been detained in connection with the case, according to local media.
The attack in Monaco
On the evening of 29 June, a bomb detonated at the entrance of a residential building in Monaco, close to the French border. Footage from surveillance cameras showed a suspect leaving a backpack near the door shortly after 9 p.m. The explosion wounded three people entering the building: Ukrainian-born tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev, his wife and their 13-year-old son. Four bystanders also required medical attention. The attacker fled on foot to the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil and then by car across Europe.
International manhunt
Monaco’s deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond confirmed on 3 July that investigators had identified the main suspect as Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national living in Frankfurt, Germany. Interpol issued a Red Notice for her arrest, listing charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy. French media reported that she had disguised herself as a man during the attack, wearing beige trousers, a black blouse and a hat. According to La Vanguardia, Berezovska left Ukraine on 22 March 2025 and returned on 1 July 2026, suggesting she travelled back to her home country shortly after the bombing.
Discovery near Kyiv
Late on 6 July, at around 11 p.m. local time, Ukrainian police found Berezovska’s body near Kyiv. The corpse had gunshot wounds, and multiple outlets reported she had been shot dead. Ukrainska Pravda was the first to report the discovery, citing law enforcement sources. The same sources said two men had been arrested in connection with the case: one an officer with Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), the other a former law enforcement official. Neither Ukrainian police nor HUR have commented publicly.
- Berezovska leaves Ukraine
- Bomb detonates at Monaco apartment building, wounding Yermolaiev and family; four others require help
- Berezovska returns to Ukraine
- Monaco prosecutor and Interpol identify her as main suspect
- Berezovska's body found shot dead near Kyiv
The target: a sanctioned oligarch
Vadym Yermolaiev, granted Cypriot citizenship in 2019, built his fortune on real estate and beverages. He was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for doing business in Russian-occupied Crimea, where he continued trading despite a ban and paid taxes to the Kremlin. Ukrainian media often refer to wealthy draft evaders like him as the “ghost battalion of Monaco.” He has lived quietly in the principality but remains a deeply controversial figure at home.
Unanswered questions
The motive for the attack remains unclear. Ukrainian media earlier described it as a possible “settling of scores.” The involvement of an HUR officer among the detainees adds a layer of state-level intrigue, though no official link has been established between the agency and either the bombing or the killing. The case has drawn international attention not only for the brazen nature of the crime but also for the shadow it casts over Ukraine’s oligarch exiles and the reach of its security services.
