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A woman allegedly involved in planning to kill a Ukrainian-Cypriot entrepreneur in Monaco has been discovered deceased in Ukraine. Two individuals connected to Ukraine’s intelligence agencies have since been detained.

On July 7, the body of a 39-year-old Ukrainian manAnastasia Berezovska was discovered close to Kyiv. She was accused of planning an assassination plot against a Ukrainian-Cypriot entrepreneur.Vadym Yermolaiev, who hails from the city of Dnipro, in Monaco.

A few days later, two individuals connected to Ukraine’s intelligence agencies were taken into custody on allegations of murdering Berezovska. What is understood about this case, which might lead to life imprisonment for the accused and cause a major international controversy for Ukraine?

Death of a suspected assassin

Monaco prosecutors suspect Berezovska of trying to murder Yermolaiev, his girlfriend, and their 13-year-old son. All three were hurt when a bomb exploded on the evening of June 29.

Following an examination of security camera recordings, authorities determined that Berezovska had been observing the victims for a prolonged period. Eventually, she positioned a backpack loaded with explosives at the entrance of their residence. The explosive was triggered remotely via a mobile phone. Shortly after, she departed from the French Riviera. On July 6, her body was discovered in a woodland area close to Kyiv.

Berezovska resided in Hofheim, close to Frankfurt, Germany, along with her son. Following her escape from Ukraine, she received temporary protection in Germany. A family member stated that she and her son led a simple life, depended on social assistance, and were studying the German language.

Prior to relocating to Germany, Berezovska had lived her whole life in Ukraine, initially in the village of Horodyshche, where her mother continues to reside, and later in the city of Zhytomyr. Very little information is available regarding her career history.

From Monaco to Zhytomyr

A family member informed journalists that approximately a week prior to the assassination attempt, Anastasia Berezovska sent her 7-year-old son to live with his grandmother in Ukraine. She reportedly traveled south from the Frankfurt region. As per the news sourceNice-Matin, traffic cameras recorded her driving close to the location of the attack on June 26.

Right after the explosion, Berezovska departed from the French Riviera and came back to the Frankfurt area the next day. She didn’t remain there for long. On July 1, she entered Ukraine by bus and went to her mother’s house in the village of Horodyshche.

In the meantime, investigators in Monaco noticed an individual dressed in a dark suit on surveillance footage. They believed it might be a woman impersonating a man. Upon examining further video recordings, suspicion shifted to a large-built woman with a snake tattoo on her shoulder. The vehicle she had been driving was found in Germany, and later that same evening, police in the German state of Hesse searched her empty apartment.

The next morning, Berezovska surprised her mother by asking her to take her to a gas station close to Zhytomyr. Her mother later informed Ukrainian police about this request. A staff member at the gas station reported to investigators that he arranged a taxi for her to head towards Kyiv. The taxi driver mentioned that he left her off around 9:30 a.m. on the highway near Makariv in the Kyiv area.

By the time Prosecutors in Monaco openly named BerezovskaAt a press conference held three hours later, her name and image were released, and she was added to an international wanted list, suggesting she was probably already deceased.

Individuals connected to Ukraine’s intelligence agencies

Vladyslav Reut and Vitaliy Shykovych, who were detained on allegations of the woman’s murder, have strong connections to Ukraine’s intelligence organizations. Recently, Reut was part of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), the nation’s military intelligence body. Shykovych worked for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) until April this year. As per investigators, following her return to Ukraine, Berezovska only called her family members and the two suspects.

Reut admitted to murdering Berezovska on the morning of July 6, when police officers investigating the disappearance of the woman arrived at his place. Nevertheless, he later altered his statement in court, pointing the finger at his supposed partner. Reut stated that he had attempted to stop Shykovych from committing the murder and mentioned that threats from him had compelled Reut to make a false confession during his first police interrogation.

Shykovych chose not to offer any comments in court. His legal representative also refrained from responding to inquiries regarding his client’s connection with Berezovska.

Who was responsible for the attack in Monaco?

Considering the statements from the suspects, investigators are exploring the chance that Berezovska worked as an agent for Shykovych and Reut and executed the attack in Monaco at their direction, either with full knowledge or without. Should this be the case, the two men might have killed her following the unsuccessful attack, worried she could reveal their involvement. As per sources mentioned by the newspaperUkrainska Pravda, investigators believe the two men arrested in Berezovska’s murder could have been behind the attack in Monaco. But who, if anyone, was responsible for giving the order?

The defense attorney of Shykovych, Anatolii Ivanov, claimed in court that the explosion in Monaco was an act of terrorism which mainly favored Russia by undermining Ukraine’s intelligence agencies.

In the meantime, certain European media sources have proposed that the incident in Monaco could have been a secret operation conducted by Ukrainian intelligence. According to this hypothesis, Kyiv targeted Vadym Yermolaiev due to his inclusion on Ukrainian sanctions lists because of business dealings in the Russian-occupied Crimean region and because he was supposedly planning to deliver a speech at the European Parliament criticizing corruption in Ukraine. Nevertheless, it was discovered that Yermolaiev had never received an invitation to speak at the European Parliament.

Ukrainian law enforcement and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are carrying out their ongoing inquiry. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has started establishing a collaborative international investigation team.

This article was first published in Ukrainian.

Author: Igor Burdyga