SouthernWorldwide.com – Interpol has issued a red notice for a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman, Anastasiia Berezovska, who is suspected of orchestrating a bombing at an apartment building in Monaco. The incident, which occurred on June 30, is believed to have targeted a Ukrainian oligarch with ties to Russia.
The explosion injured Vadym Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born construction magnate, according to numerous media reports. Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, confirmed that a woman and a 13-year-old child were also injured in the blast. Media outlets widely reported these individuals to be members of Yermolaiev’s family.
Berezovska is now wanted by Interpol on charges including attempted murder, the criminal placement of an explosive device on a public highway, and criminal association. Interpol described the suspect as a dark-haired, German-speaking woman who may have a snake tattoo on her arm.
Initially, authorities believed the suspect to be a heavy-set man. Monaco’s Deputy Prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, even used masculine pronouns when initially describing the individual responsible for placing the device.
“He stood up a few meters ahead of the victims, placed an explosive device taken from his shopping bag on the entrance steps of the building, then turned to confirm the presence of the three victims before triggering the explosion using a remote control,” Raymond stated at a press conference following the incident.
Investigators reviewed security footage from the days preceding the explosion. They observed a man wearing a fishing hat repeatedly surveying the apartment building and its surroundings. However, on June 28, this man was not visible in the footage. Instead, a woman, now believed to be Berezovska, followed the same reconnaissance patterns.
“The repeated reconnaissance operations and the pauses made in front of the building clearly demonstrate the intention to specifically target the three victims,” Raymond explained, highlighting the deliberate nature of the act.
Authorities tracked the suspect’s escape route across the border from Monaco into France, then through Italy, and finally into Germany. German authorities are actively searching for her, and her apartment in Frankfurt was raided on Thursday.
Raymond indicated that the sophistication of the explosive device suggests that the perpetrator may not have acted alone. The complexity of the device and the method employed point towards a level of planning that likely involved more than one individual.
While no official motive has been disclosed by authorities, Yermolaiev’s status as a sanctioned former Ukrainian businessman is considered significant. The 58-year-old construction tycoon reportedly renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 and became a citizen of Cyprus in 2019, according to Ukrainian media.
In 2023, the Ukrainian government imposed sanctions on Yermolaiev. He was accused of continuing to engage with Russia, paying taxes to Moscow, and facilitating business transactions through his liquor business in Crimea. Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
