Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has published a video from the scene of the attempted attack on businessman Vadym Yermolaev in Monaco on his Telegram channel.
According to Kravchenko, those who carried out the attack had installed a camera in advance to obtain confirmation that the order had been carried out. He said the suspects later deleted the recording, but officers of the SBU were able to recover it.
The footage shows a person leaving a bag at the entrance to a house and then walking away down the street. Shortly afterward, three people approach the door, and an explosion follows.
What is known about the attack
The attempt on Yermolaev took place in late June. A bag containing an explosive device was left at the doorstep of his home in Monaco. The blast occurred as the businessman was entering the house with his partner Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son.
All three were injured. Nasobina had both legs amputated after the explosion.
After the incident, Interpol issued a wanted notice for Ukrainian citizen Anastasia Berezovska. She was found dead in Kyiv region on July 7. Acting Ukrainian intelligence officer Vladyslav Reut and former SBU officer Vitalii Zhykovich were arrested on suspicion of murdering her. Media reports say they were the organizers of the attack on Yermolaev. The businessman himself has also accused Ukrainian intelligence of arranging the attack.
Who Vadym Yermolaev is
Yermolaev is a Ukrainian businessman and investor. In 2021, Forbes Ukraine included him in its list of the 100 richest Ukrainians, estimating his fortune at $220 million. His Alef Group was involved in commercial real estate construction in Dnipro.
In 2019, Yermolaev renounced Ukrainian citizenship and obtained Cypriot citizenship. In late December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed personal sanctions on him. The SBU accused him of running an alcohol business in Crimea through front persons after the peninsula’s annexation, in accordance with Russian law.