PARIS, France – Interpol has issued a Red Notice for a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman wanted in connection with a bombing in Monaco that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian businessman with links to Russia, according to Associated Press.
The international police organization on Friday identified the suspect as Anastasiia Berezovska, who remains at large. She is sought on allegations of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy.
Authorities in Monaco said Monday’s explosion occurred at the entrance of an apartment building, injuring three members of the same family who appeared to have been deliberately targeted. Prosecutors also reported that two additional people sustained minor injuries during the blast.
Media reports identified one of the wounded as Vadym Yermolaiev, a construction businessman who has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago. He was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 over alleged ties to Russia. Monaco authorities have not officially identified the victims.
One of the targeted victims remained in life-threatening condition as of Friday, prosecutors said.
Investigation Focuses on Possible Accomplices
Monaco’s deputy prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, said investigators are examining whether the suspect acted alone or on behalf of another individual.
He told a news conference that the sophistication of the explosive device and the method used to carry out the attack suggest additional people may have been involved. According to prosecutors, the bomb was remotely detonated, and its remains have been sent to neighboring France for forensic analysis.
Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the attack.
Surveillance Review Redirected Investigation
Raymond said investigators initially believed the suspect was a heavily built man based on early surveillance footage. However, additional CCTV recordings and witness testimony led investigators to conclude the suspect was a woman disguised as a man.
Interpol’s Red Notice describes Berezovska as having dark hair, speaking German and bearing a tattoo, possibly depicting a snake, extending from her right shoulder to her elbow.
The notice also includes photographs appearing to show the suspect wearing a white striped T-shirt. In one image, she is seen holding what appears to be an electronic device connected to a cable.
Cross-Border Investigation Expands
Investigators traced a rental vehicle with German registration plates that was allegedly used during the operation in Monaco. Prosecutors said the suspect’s movements were tracked from France into Italy before continuing through several European countries toward her country of residence.
Raymond said the suspect’s last known address was in Germany.
German police and prosecutors announced Friday that officers, including special forces, searched a rented apartment near Frankfurt linked to a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman as part of the investigation. Authorities also searched and seized a vehicle believed to have been used by the suspect. Evidence collected during the searches will be transferred to Monaco’s investigators.
German authorities said the woman remains at large and declined to provide further details while the investigation continues.
Regional Security Context
The bombing has drawn attention because of reports identifying the apparent target as a businessman previously sanctioned by Ukraine over alleged links to Russia.
Although prosecutors have not connected the attack to the war in Ukraine, the incident comes amid heightened concern over targeted attacks linked to the broader conflict. Ukraine has previously acknowledged responsibility for certain operations targeting Russian officials during the war, while Western intelligence officials have recently said Russia has intensified a campaign of targeted killings following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Monaco’s head of state, Albert II, described the bombing as “an odious act” and said public services had been mobilized to help ensure security as the investigation continues.
Tags: Monaco, Interpol, Anastasiia Berezovska, Bombing, Vadym Yermolaiev, Germany, Ukraine, France, Criminal Investigation, Explosive Device, Law Enforcement, Europe
