Ukrainian prosecutors have charged two men with the murder of a woman who was the prime suspect in a luxury apartment bombing in Monaco that targeted a sanctioned Ukrainian businessman.
Court proceedings in Kyiv on Thursday revealed what investigators describe as a broader, deeply enigmatic conspiracy surrounding the case.
Authorities allege that Vladislav Reut, who works for Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, and Vitaliy Zhykovych, a former officer of the Security Service of Ukraine, lured 39-year-old Anastasia Berezovskaya to a wooded area outside the capital and shot her. Both suspects have been arrested, though prosecutors have not yet established a definitive motive for the killing.
According to Interpol records, Berezovskaya was the key figure in the assassination attempt in Monaco last week. She is accused of planting a bomb in the lobby of a residential building and detonating it remotely, causing critical injuries to three people, including a child.
While authorities have not officially named the victims, a lawyer representing the family of Vadym Yermolaiev, a prominent Ukrainian businessman, confirmed he was among those injured and remains hospitalized in critical condition. The family stated they have full confidence in the ongoing investigation.
After the attack, Berezovskaya fled Monaco and returned to Ukraine, where investigators believe she immediately contacted the two suspects. A source told the investigative outlet hromadske that she had been under surveillance since crossing into Ukraine on July 1.
Prosecutors allege that Zhykovych and Reut drove her into a forest near Kyiv, where she was shot. Her body was buried, and her belongings along with the weapon were discarded in a nearby pond.
Reut initially confessed and led law enforcement to the burial site, where investigators recovered Berezovskaya’s remains alongside 9mm shell casings and bullets. He has since retracted his confession, with his defense claiming that Zhykovych was the actual shooter. Reut now asserts that Zhykovych told him Berezovskaya needed to be “hidden” due to threats from third parties over a separate matter.
Zhykovych’s lawyer countered that Reut’s original confession should be considered credible, noting that the investigation has uncovered cryptocurrency transactions between Zhykovych and Berezovskaya.
Yermolaiev, who has resided in Monaco for years, was previously sanctioned by Ukraine for alleged business operations in Russian-occupied Crimea. His lawyer urged the media to avoid speculation about the motive, as attention has shifted to the businessman’s family ties to underground networks. His eldest son was previously convicted in Estonia for operating illicit scam call centers that reportedly generated nearly 100 million euros between 2019 and 2022.
Ivan Stupak, a former SBU officer and security expert, suggested that the most plausible motive for the assassination attempt involves the lucrative and often violent world of underground scam call centers. Centered primarily in Dnipro, these networks are characterized by brutal turf wars, retaliatory police setups, and kidnappings.
“Conflicts between rival scam call center groups are considered routine in Ukraine,” Stupak explained. “They file complaints against one another with the authorities, accuse each other of crimes, and try to set up their competitors so that police raid their offices and make arrests.”
While he did not mention murders specifically, Stupak said violent tactics are common, including kidnappings and beatings. Investigators must now determine whether the attack stems from a personal vendetta or a criminal struggle to control this high-stakes network.