Investigators believe that the attack on businessman Vadym Yermolayev in Monaco was organized by active Ukrainian military intelligence officer Vladyslav Reut and former SBU officer Vitaliy Zhykovych. That is according to Ukrainska Pravda, which cited sources familiar with the investigation.
The outlet says Reut and Zhykovych had previously been notified of suspicion in the murder case of Anastasia Berezovska, whom investigators consider the suspected perpetrator of the attack. According to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources, both men are cooperating with investigators and giving detailed testimony.
According to their account, Berezovska had lived in Germany with her son for several years as a refugee, and one of her motives for taking part was money: the suspects say she hoped to earn enough to buy a house in Ukraine. They also claimed they paid for her travel, accommodation, car rental, and other expenses.
The publication’s sources say the initial plan had been to abduct Yermolayev. Reut reportedly said he made an electronic triggering unit designed to start the detonation of the main charge. That component was allegedly disguised as a toy car and sent through Germany to Berezovska, who then assembled the explosive device. Zhykovych, according to the report, said Berezovska could not have built such a device on her own because it required specialized knowledge.
Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General told the outlet that, for now, Reut and Zhykovych have officially been notified of suspicion only in the murder of Berezovska.
The attack took place on June 29, when a bag containing a bomb was left outside Yermolayev’s home in Monaco. The explosion occurred as the businessman was entering the house with his partner and his 13-year-old son. All three were injured, and the woman had both legs amputated. The next day, Le Figaro reported that investigators in Monaco had not ruled out possible SBU involvement and viewed the attack more as a warning than as a deliberate murder attempt.
Berezovska was later identified as the suspected attacker. She arrived in Ukraine on July 1, and on July 7 Ukrainian law enforcement authorities reported that she had been killed. Reut confessed to that killing, saying he acted together with Zhykovych and had not informed his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska.