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Berezovska found dead
A woman suspected in a June 29 Monaco bombing that seriously injured Ukrainian-born business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev was found shot dead near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors said, and Interpol had issued a red notice for 39-year-old Anastasiia Berezovska.
“The Pechersk District Court in Kyiv has ordered the pretrial detention of Vladyslav Reout, a Ukrainian military intelligence officer (GUR), and Vitaliy Jyvitch, an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), both suspects in the so-called Monaco case”
The Guardian reported that prosecutors said Berezovska received cryptocurrency payments from two men later arrested, including an officer with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) and a former law enforcement officer, and that prosecutors released footage showing a blood-stained “torture chamber”.
The Herald said the Monaco attempted murder probe followed the June 29 blast at the home of Vadym Yermolaev, and it described Berezovska as the suspected attacker whose body was found near Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head.
The Herald also said the SBU confirmed Berezovska’s death and that the body was discovered with shells surrounding her at around 11:00 PM on July 6, while the Guardian said the affair could prove politically costly for Kyiv as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at a Nato summit on Tuesday.
Confession and detentions
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said an active HUR officer confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer, and the confession included that he acted on his own initiative and did not inform his superiors.
The Kyiv Independent quoted the joint statement saying, “During urgent investigative steps, the active HUR officer confessed to killing Berezovska together with another suspect,” and it said the Prosecutor General’s Office and the SBU charged both suspects with premeditated murder.
Ukrinform reported that the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv ordered pretrial detention of Vladyslav Reout, a Ukrainian military intelligence officer (GUR), and Vitaliy Jyvitch, an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), for 60 days without the possibility of release on bail.
Ukrinform also said Reout told the hearing that the shots at Anastasiia Berezovska had been fired by the other suspect, Vitaliy Jyvitch, and that Reout said he had refused to kill Berezovska before Jyvitch allegedly snatched the pistol and fired four shots.
Monaco case fallout
The Monaco bombing case was tied to a package left in the entrance hall of an apartment building in Monaco near the French border on June 29, and the blast injured three people including Vadym Iermolaiev, his partner, and their 13-year-old son.
The Guardian said Prince Albert II of Monaco previously condemned the bombing as “an odious act” and that Monaco’s security services had been mobilised, while PBS said the attack shocked Monaco and that authorities had not disclosed possible motives for the bombing attack or the killing of Berezovska.
PBS reported that Ukrainian lawmakers raised concerns about how Ukraine’s Western allies were reacting to a possible assassination attempt in Monaco linked to at least one member of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, and it quoted Oleksandr Merezhko saying, “I hope it will not have a serious impact. But our allies deserve an explanation.”
Ukrinform said the Monaco explosion occurred on June 29 and that the target was Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaïev, while it also stated that Interpol had issued a red notice in her name and that the Petchersk District Court in Kyiv was examining the Berezovska murder case.
