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🇧🇪 Belgium /Conflict & Security

Monaco Bombing Links Controversial Oligarch, Kyiv, and Security Services

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • An explosion in Monaco on June 29 injured three people and wounded four bystanders, targeting Ukrainian businessman Vadym Jermolajev.
  • The main suspect, a Ukrainian woman named Anastasiia Berezovska, was identified and later found shot dead in Kyiv, with two men subsequently arrested in Ukraine.
  • Jermolajev, who has faced sanctions from Ukraine since 2023 due to his business dealings in Russia, is a controversial figure.

A bombing in Monaco on June 29 has triggered a complex chain of events involving Ukrainian security services and a controversial oligarch. The attack, which occurred near an apartment building, injured three individuals and four bystanders. While Monegask authorities initially withheld victim identities, media reports quickly identified the targets as Ukrainian businessman Vadym Jermolajev, his wife, and their 13-year-old son.

It was a targeted attack, with Jermolajev as the target.

— Stéphane ThibaultMonegask prosecutor, ruling out terrorism and identifying the businessman as the likely target.

Monaco's prosecutor's office identified the primary suspect as Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman residing in Germany. An international arrest warrant was issued, accusing her of attempted murder and placing an explosive device. However, Ukrainian intelligence services reported that Berezovska fled to Kyiv after the attack and was subsequently found shot dead. Two men with alleged links to Ukrainian security services were later arrested in Kyiv in connection with her death.

The Ukrainian intelligence service SBOe reports that Berezovska fled to the capital Kyiv after the attack.

— VRT NWSReporting on the suspect's movements after the bombing.

Vadym Jermolajev is a contentious figure in Ukraine. He amassed wealth through real estate and wine businesses but continued operating in Russia after Crimea's annexation in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on him in December 2023. Jermolajev, who had not lived in Ukraine for several years and obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2019, relocated to Monaco with his family in 2021. Reports indicate Jermolajev and his son are recovering, but his wife remains in critical condition.

The woman was shot in the head.

— VRT NWSDescribing the circumstances of Anastasiia Berezovska's death in Kyiv.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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