Ukrainian Agent Revises Claim of Killing Monaco Bomb Suspect
In a recent custody hearing in Kyiv, Vladyslav Reut, a 34‑year‑old officer of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR, told judges he did not pull the trigger in the killing of Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman who was believed to have planned a parcel bomb attack on a high‑profile complex near Monaco. Reut immediately shifted the blame onto his co‑defendant, 50‑year‑old former SBU security officer Vitalii Zhykovych.
Reut’s earlier statements had claimed he had taken Berezovska to a wooded area west of Kyiv where he buried her body. He allegedly confided that they had used her phone records and cryptocurrency transfers to track their movements and to funnel money to Berezovska’s accounts. The new account from Reut insists that the shooting was carried out by Zhykovych after he insisted on using a modified pistol to “protect” the victim, and that Reut was threatened over personal security.
The case first surfaced after a suspected parcel bomb exploded near the Monaco Yacht Club on 29 June 2026. Investigators linked Berezovska to the UK, Germany and Poland, and traced her travel to Ukraine just after the incident. She was found dead on 3 July; her death has prompted a detailed investigation by Ukrainian prosecutors and the head of state, President Volodymyr Zelensky, who promised additional reports.
The alleged motive for the bomb remains unclear. Berezovska had been a target menacing an oligarch, Vadim Yermolayev, who disposed of Ukrainian citizenship years ago and was later sanctioned by Kyiv for trading in Crimea. Yermolayev’s continued business activities in the territory drew international scrutiny, and Berezovska’s presence in Ukraine raised speculation about ties to Russian or organised‑crime networks.
Both men were held behind a glass cage with heavy security in the courtroom, wearing hoods that covered their faces save for their eyes to limit public identification. The court denied bail to each suspect and kept them in custody while investigations proceed.
According to prosecutors, the two acted jointly in a coordinated manner. Their consistent denial of guilt and conflicting narratives underline the complexity of evidence and raise questions regarding the chain of responsibility in a high‑profile international assassination attempt. Additional evidence has been requested and is under review with the aim of establishing the truth surrounding the deaths and alleged assassination plot.
