It will be very difficult to explain whether certain government officials were involved.
In the shadow of an ongoing war, Ukraine finds itself entangled in a scandal that reaches from the glittering streets of Monaco to a forest outside Kyiv. Anastasia Berezovska, 39, suspected of bombing a Ukrainian oligarch and his family, was shot execution-style and buried in the woods days after quietly slipping back across the border — and a military intelligence officer now stands accused of witnessing the killing. The episode forces a painful question that democracies at war must still answer: who watches those who act in the state's name, and what happens when the watchers become the killers?
- A bomb detonated outside a Monaco apartment building wounded a Ukrainian billionaire, his partner, and their 13-year-old child — and the woman caught on camera planting it was dead within days of returning home.
- A GUR military intelligence officer has confessed to witnessing Berezovska's execution-style murder in a forest, implicating Ukraine's own security apparatus in silencing the prime suspect.
- President Zelenskyy faces direct pressure from Emmanuel Macron to account for how a wanted bombing suspect crossed back into Ukraine unchallenged — and then turned up dead.
- Unanswered questions multiply: whether Berezovska acted alone, how she passed through border controls without triggering Interpol alerts, and whether the SBU's rapid arrests reflect genuine accountability or a rivalry between competing intelligence services.
- Behind the official narrative, the target himself is a sanctioned oligarch accused of trading with Russian-occupied Crimea, and sources close to him suggest the entire affair may be rooted in criminal extortion rather than politics.
A woman disguised as a man left a rucksack outside a Monaco apartment building. When Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaiev stepped outside with his partner and 13-year-old child, the device exploded, wounding all three. French police identified Anastasia Berezovska from security footage and traced her flight through Germany and Italy. On July 1, she boarded a bus back to Ukraine. Four days later, her body was found in a forest near Kyiv, shot multiple times in the back of the head.
One of the two men arrested for her murder, Vladyslav Reut, was a 33-year-old GUR military intelligence officer who had trained special operations forces. In court, he described watching his alleged accomplice — a former policeman named Vitaliy Zhykovych — fire twice into the back of Berezovska's head as she lay on the ground, then order Reut to dig a grave. Her shoes and belongings were removed before she was left in the woods, roughly 40 miles from the capital.
The revelation that a GUR officer witnessed the killing has triggered a political crisis. Zelenskyy, pressed by Macron for answers, promised further reports within days, but the damage to Ukraine's standing with its Western allies is already visible. Investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach put it plainly: explaining whether government officials from the GUR were involved would be very difficult.
The case is riddled with unresolved questions. How did Berezovska re-enter Ukraine without triggering Interpol alerts? Ukraine's border service said France had not yet issued an arrest warrant when she crossed. Did she act alone, or was she part of a larger operation? Some observers read the SBU's swift move to implicate a GUR employee as a sign of institutional rivalry between Ukraine's competing intelligence services rather than a straightforward pursuit of justice.
The target himself complicates the picture. Iermolaiev, one of Ukraine's wealthiest men, was sanctioned by his own government in 2023 for alleged dealings in Russian-occupied Crimea — charges he denied. A source close to him suggested the bombing was not political but criminal, rooted in a dispute over protection money in which Berezovska ultimately became expendable. As for Berezovska, she had lived in Frankfurt, bred dogs in Zhytomyr, and carried a minor conviction for drunken hooliganism. She was 39 years old. In Kyiv, officials now scramble to offer an explanation that the world is waiting to hear.
A woman suspected of planting a bomb outside a Monaco apartment building was found dead in a forest near Kyiv, shot multiple times in the back of the head. The discovery has pulled Ukraine's military intelligence apparatus into an international scandal that now threatens the country's credibility with its Western allies.
On the morning of the bombing, Anastasia Berezovska, disguised as a man, left a rucksack outside a residential building in Monaco. When Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaiev emerged with his partner and their 13-year-old child, the device detonated, wounding all three. French police identified Berezovska from security footage and tracked her escape: a car with German plates, a crossing into France, then Italy. On July 1, she boarded a bus back to Ukraine, heading to her hometown of Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv.
Four days later, her body surfaced in woods near the capital. Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said two men had been involved in her death. One of them, Vladyslav Reut, appeared in court and confessed to witnessing the killing. Reut, 33, had studied law at Kyiv's national university and worked for the GUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency, serving in a unit that trained special operations forces. He claimed his alleged accomplice, Vitaliy Zhykovych, a former Kyiv region policeman, pulled the trigger. According to Reut's account, Zhykovych fired twice at the back of Berezovska's head as she lay on the ground, then forced Reut to dig a grave. The men removed her belongings and shoes before leaving her in the forest, roughly 40 miles west of the capital.
The involvement of a GUR officer in the murder of the bombing suspect has created a political crisis. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces pressure from France's Emmanuel Macron to explain what happened and hold those responsible. Zelenskyy told the Guardian he expected further reports within days and promised to update the public, but the damage to Ukraine's international standing is already evident. Investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach said the scenario was almost impossible to defend: "It will be very difficult to explain whether certain government officials – in particular from the GUR – were involved."
The case is shadowed by questions that remain unanswered. How did Berezovska cross back into Ukraine without triggering alerts from Interpol or other databases? Ukraine's border service said she entered "lawfully" on July 1 through a regular crossing, noting that France had not yet issued an arrest warrant. Did she act alone in Monaco, or was she part of a larger operation? The speed of the arrests has surprised observers, with some speculating that the SBU's quick move to blame a GUR employee reflects deeper institutional rivalry between Ukraine's competing intelligence services.
Behind the official narrative lies a murkier picture. Iermolaiev, 58, is one of Ukraine's wealthiest men, with a fortune estimated at $220 million. In 2023, Ukraine's own government imposed sanctions on him, accusing him of trading alcohol in Russian-occupied Crimea and funneling tax money to Moscow. He denied the charges, saying they were "absolutely surreal" and that he had donated to Ukraine's military. His son, Artur, faced separate criminal charges in Estonia for operating fraudulent call centers; he paid €8.5 million in settlement and left the country. One source close to Iermolaiev suggested the bombing and murder were not political but criminal—a dispute over protection money in which Berezovska became expendable.
Details of Berezovska's own life are still emerging. She had lived in Frankfurt, where German police searched her apartment. Before that, she bred dogs in Zhytomyr. A 2021 court ruling found her guilty of petty hooliganism after she insulted and pushed another woman while drunk. She was 39 when she died. In Kyiv, officials are now scrambling to contain the damage. Parliamentary deputy Oleksandr Merezhko said Ukraine's allies "deserve an explanation," while acknowledging that the swift arrests could be read as evidence of effective law enforcement. The question now is whether that explanation will satisfy the international scrutiny closing in on Zelenskyy's government.
Citas Notables
Zhykovych fired the first shot at her in the back of the head. She fell down. He came up and fired another shot. I was standing a few metres away at that moment.— Vladyslav Reut, GUR officer, testifying in Kyiv court
It would be hard to imagine a worse scenario. It will be very difficult to explain whether certain government officials – in particular from the GUR – were involved.— Mykhailo Tkach, investigative journalist
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would a military intelligence officer be involved in killing a bombing suspect? That seems backwards.
Because the suspect was a loose end. She could talk, could implicate people higher up. In Ukraine's security services, eliminating witnesses is sometimes faster than trials.
But Reut admitted to being there. He didn't stay silent.
He claims he was just a witness, not the shooter. Whether anyone believes that is another question. The real issue is that a GUR officer was there at all—that suggests institutional involvement, not just two rogue men.
What about the oligarch? Why would he need protection money from a woman who plants bombs?
That's the puzzle. Either she was hired to kill him and then killed to silence her, or this was a criminal dispute that turned violent. The oligarch himself is complicated—Ukraine sanctioned him for trading with Crimea, but he says he supports the military. Nobody's clean here.
How did she get back into Ukraine without being caught?
That's what everyone wants to know. She wasn't on any wanted list when she crossed the border on July 1. France hadn't issued a warrant yet. It's either a massive security failure or someone let her through.
And now Zelenskyy has to explain all of this to Macron.
Exactly. Ukraine needs Western support, and now its own intelligence agencies look compromised. The timing couldn't be worse.