Interpol issues Red Notice for woman disguised as man in Monaco bombing of sanctioned Ukrainian businessman

The attack

On the evening of 29 June, a bomb detonated outside a residential building in a prestigious district of Monaco. The device had been left in a backpack and was triggered by remote control as the intended target approached. Three people were wounded: Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev, his partner Anna Nasobina, and their 13-year-old son David. Nasobina lost both legs in the explosion; Yermolayev remains in critical condition.

Suspect identified

Investigators initially assumed the attacker was a man based on surveillance footage showing a figure in a dark hat and concealing clothing. Further analysis of the recordings revealed the perpetrator was actually a woman who had been posing as a man. Monaco’s deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond said the bomb was left as a parcel and detonated with a remote control.

The perpetrator left a package in front of a building in Monaco and detonated the bomb via remote control when the three victims arrived.

On 3 July, Interpol published a Red Notice for Anastasija Berezowska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national born on 26 June 1987. She is wanted on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place, and acting as part of an organised criminal group. Raymond noted the complexity of the device suggests she did not operate alone.

Due to the complexity of the explosive device, police are investigating to identify possible accomplices and those who may have ordered this attack.

Escape through Europe

After the blast, Berezowska fled on foot into neighbouring France, where she picked up a rental car with German licence plates. She then drove through several European countries, including Italy, before reaching Germany. Investigators say she was later spotted in the Frankfurt area. German criminal police searched a rented apartment near Frankfurt and a vehicle used by the suspect, forwarding seized evidence to Monaco authorities. Two men detained in Monaco on 2 and 3 July were released due to insufficient evidence.

The victim

Yermolayev, a developer originally from Dnipro, is one of Ukraine’s largest property magnates and has holdings in agribusiness. He formerly appeared on the Forbes list of Ukraine’s 100 richest people before renouncing his Ukrainian citizenship for Cypriot citizenship. In December 2023 he was placed under Ukrainian sanctions for continuing business activities in Russian-occupied Crimea. He has lived in Monaco since at least 2021. Prosecutor General Stéphane Thibault stated that no investigation is underway against him in the principality and he is not wanted by foreign authorities.

Investigation continues

Monaco’s head of government Christophe Mirmand described the event as probably a terrorist act, adding it was the first of its kind in the principality’s history. A timeline of key moments shows how the manhunt unfolded.

To my knowledge, this is the first time in history that such an act has occurred in the principality.

Authorities in several European countries are cooperating, and the suspect remains at large.