Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, suspected of orchestrating a bombing in Monaco on 29/6 that injured three people, including Ukrainian-born tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev, was found dead near Kiev on the night of 6/7. Law enforcement discovered her body with a gunshot wound to the head after she returned to Ukraine on 1/7.

Investigators tracked Berezovska's contacts and movements, discovering she had communicated with her family, an officer from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), and a former law enforcement official. Both the HUR officer and the former official have been arrested.

"After discovering that the two men repeatedly transferred money to Berezovska via cryptocurrency wallets and banking systems, investigators believe they are also potential suspects in the Monaco assassination attempt", the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated in a joint announcement on 7/7.

Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was confirmed shot dead near Kiev by Ukrainian officials on 7/7. *Photo: Interfax-Ukraine*

The HUR officer confessed to killing Berezovska with an accomplice. He added that he never reported his contacts with Berezovska, financial transactions, or any related activities to his superiors, asserting he acted "on his own initiative".

"Authorities also searched the home of the former law enforcement official, where they discovered a basement that appeared to have been used as a torture chamber. The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of organized murder", the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine and the SBU reported.

The investigation is being conducted by the National Police of Ukraine, with support from SBU counterintelligence and direct coordination from Director of Military Intelligence Oleh Ivashchenko.

Vadym Yermolaiev is a prominent and influential businessman in Dnipro, with assets in agriculture, real estate, construction materials, and medical equipment. He renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 and now holds only Cypriot nationality.

Yermolaiev has resided in Monaco since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022. In 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on the businessman, accusing him of supporting Russia.

*Source: Kyiv Independent, AFP*