Interpol-wanted woman in Monaco bombing case found shot dead near Kyiv; two detained

A Ukrainian woman suspected of planting a parcel bomb that targeted a wealthy Ukrainian-born businessman in Monaco last week has been found shot dead near Kyiv, according to Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda, with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office later confirming the discovery of the body.In a statement, Ukraine’s National Police said officers had “detained two individuals on suspicion of murdering a woman who was wanted by Interpol”, identifying the victim as “Ukrainian citizen Anastasiia Berezovska.” One of the suspects is an officer with Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), while the other is a former law enforcement officer.Citing law enforcement sources, the news outlet reported that the woman was found with gunshot wounds near the Ukrainian capital at around 11 pm local time on Monday. The woman was identified as 39-year-old Anastasiia Berezovska, who was named as the chief suspect in an Interpol Red Notice issued at Monaco’s request.According to the notice, Berezovska, a Ukrainian national who speaks German, was wanted for “attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.” Interpol’s Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a suspect pending extradition.French prosecutors allege Berezovska, who had been living in Germany, “disguised herself as a man” before placing an explosive device in the entrance hall of the family’s apartment building in Monaco.Monaco’s deputy prosecutor said the attacker fled the principality on foot into neighbouring France before travelling by car through several European countries, including Italy, and eventually reaching Germany. The attack targeted Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, a Ukrainian-born real estate developer from Dnipro who has been living in Monaco. Yermolaiev, his partner and their 13-year-old son were injured in the blast.According to Reuters, Yermolaiev renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 and is now a Cypriot citizen. He has been under Ukrainian sanctions since 2023 over his business interests in Russian-annexed Crimea. Forbes Ukraine ranked him the country’s 39th richest person in 2020, estimating his fortune at $230 million.