Interpol names Ukrainian woman in Monaco bombing targeting tycoon

Interpol has identified a Ukrainian woman as the main suspect in the Monaco apartment bombing. Investigators now believe she may have had accomplices, widening the scope of the case.

In Short

• Three family members were injured, with one victim still critical
• Investigators believe the attacker disguised herself as a man before fleeing
• CCTV footage and witness accounts shifted suspicion after an earlier misidentification

Interpol has identified the main suspect in the Monaco bombing that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with links to Russia, naming a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman who remains at large. The blast at the entrance of an apartment building in Monaco on Monday wounded three members of the same family, and authorities said they appeared to have been specifically targeted.

In a Red Notice posted on its website, Interpol named the suspect as Anastasiia Berezovska. Monaco authorities have not officially identified the injured, but media reports said Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev was among those wounded. Yermolaiev has said he gave up his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago, and he was sanctioned by Ukraine in 2023 over ties to Russia.

A woman and a child were also injured in the blast. Prosecutors said on Friday that one of the victims remains in a life-threatening condition, and also referred to two other "collateral victims" who suffered minor injuries in the attack. The Interpol notice said the suspect has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. It said she was born in Ukraine, has dark hair and speaks German.

Monaco authorities are seeking her arrest for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy. Morgan Raymond, Monaco's deputy prosecutor, said the bomb was detonated remotely. He said the remains of the device were being analysed in France. Raymond added that the suspect was first identified as a heavily built person appearing to be male, wearing a dark long-sleeved top, light-coloured shorts and a black bucket hat. A wider review of CCTV footage from earlier days, along with witness testimony, then redirected the investigation towards a woman disguised as a man.

At a news conference with the prosecutor, Monaco's director of public security Eric Arella displayed copies of the Interpol wanted notice. It included two photographs of a woman in a white T-shirt with dark stripes, including one image taken on a street where she appeared to be holding an electronic device with a cable in her left hand. The judicial investigation is also examining whether she had accomplices or was acting on behalf of someone else. "The relative sophistication of the explosive device and the modus operandi suggest that the person who planted the device did not act alone," Raymond said.

Two men were taken into custody during the investigation, but were later released. Investigators also identified a rented vehicle with German number plates that was used by the suspect in Monaco. Raymond said investigators traced her escape route from France into Italy and then across several European countries up to her country of residence. He said her last known address was in Germany, "a country with which judicial cooperation is particularly active."

The attack has shocked Monaco, a Mediterranean state known for its wealthy residents. Prince Albert II called it "an odious act" and said all public services had been mobilised to ensure security. The case has also drawn attention because Ukraine is believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures during the war, though such attacks have largely remained within Ukrainian or Russian territory. In December 2024, Ukraine's security service claimed responsibility for killing the head of the Russian military's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. Western intelligence officials have also recently said that Russia has stepped up a campaign of targeted killings since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Interpol's notice and Monaco's investigation have now focused attention on Berezovska as the main suspect in the bombing that wounded three people, while investigators continue to examine how the device was planted, whether others were involved, and the route taken after the attack.

With PTI Inputs

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