Body of woman suspected of plot against businessman Yermolaiev in Monaco found, two people detained

Ukraine's National Police, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General have detained two people on suspicion of murdering a woman who was wanted by Interpol in connection with the attempted murder of the family of Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco.

Source: National Police of Ukraine; SSU; Office of the Prosecutor General

Details: Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have confirmed information previously reported by Ukrainska Pravda that the body of a woman – Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska – has been found. Berezovska was wanted by the law enforcement authorities of the Principality of Monaco on suspicion of attempted murder in an attack that injured three people, including a child.

Ukrainian law enforcement authorities opened a pre-trial investigation into the case on 1 July 2026.

According to investigators, Berezovska arrived in Ukraine on 1 July. Investigative and operational measures established the circle of people she had been in contact with and traced her movements.

The investigation found that after returning to Ukraine, she communicated with family members and two men. One was a former law enforcement officer and the other an active DIU officer.

Investigators looked into the two men as possible accomplices in the attempted murder in Monaco after discovering that both had repeatedly transferred money to Berezovska via cryptocurrency and bank accounts.

During urgent investigative actions, the active DIU officer admitted to killing Berezovska together with the other suspect. He stated that he had not informed his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska, the money transfers or any of his other actions, and had acted on his own initiative.

During a search of the former law enforcement officer's home, investigators also discovered a basement room resembling a torture chamber.

Both suspects have been detained on suspicion of committing murder by prior conspiracy as part of a group.

Based on testimony from one of the suspects, investigators conducted a reconstruction of the crime, located Berezovska's body with gunshot wounds to the head and recovered spent pistol cartridge cases.

Notices of suspicion are being prepared. The investigation is ongoing.

Law enforcement authorities added that all information available to the Ukrainian investigation has been shared with investigators in the Principality of Monaco. The Office of the Prosecutor General is working closely with Monaco's law enforcement authorities.

Investigators are continuing efforts to identify those who ordered the attempted murder of the family in Monaco, as well as any other individuals involved. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the National Police of Ukraine with operational support from the SSU's counterintelligence department and with the personal assistance of DIU Chief Oleh Ivashchenko.

On 6 July, Ukrainska Pravda published the fourth instalment of its Monaco Battalion investigation, which, among other things, showed Yermolaiev in Monaco just days before the attempt on his life.

Watch on YouTube: The Monaco Battalion 4: Ukrainska Pravda tracks down Operation Midas suspects on the French Riviera 

Background:

• At around 21:00 on 29 June, three people were injured in an explosion in Monaco, two of whom sustained critical injuries. According to media reports, the victims were Yermolaiev and his family members.
• The explosion triggered a large-scale manhunt for the suspect believed to have planted the explosive device. Initially, investigators believed the suspect was a man captured on surveillance cameras who had fled to France. Journalists later reported that the suspect was in fact a woman who may have disguised herself as a man.
• Monaco's authorities have since ruled out terrorism as a motive. Instead, the Principality's Prosecutor General has opened an investigation into attempted murder and the placement of an explosive device in a public place.
• Media reports suggested that investigators in Monaco are examining a possible link between the attempted assassination of Yermolaiev and the SSU.
• On 3 July, Interpol issued a Red Notice for 39-year-old Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska. According to Monaco's law enforcement authorities, she was suspected of planting the explosive device that seriously injured Yermolaiev and his family members. Media reports said investigators identified her using surveillance camera footage and information provided by a witness.

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