Interpol Names Suspect In Monaco Bombing Reportedly Injured Russian-Linked Billionaire
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On Friday, Interpol named a suspect in the Monaco bombing that is believed to have targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with ties to Russia.
It identified Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman, as the suspect in a Red Notice posted on its website seeking her arrest.
Authorities in Monaco have not identified any of the three injured in Monday’s explosion at the building’s entrance but said they were a family and appeared to have been targeted.
Media reports identified Ukrainian tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as one of the injured. He said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago, and was targeted by Ukraine sanctions in 2023 because of ties to Russia.
A woman and a child were injured. One of the victims remains in life-threatening condition, prosecutors said Friday.
The Interpol notice says the suspect has a tattoo, possibly a snake, on his right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. It says he was born in Ukraine, has black hair, and speaks German.
His arrest is wanted by Monaco authorities on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy.
Morgan Raymond, deputy prosecutor in Monaco, said the bomb was detonated remotely, using a remote control. The remains of the bomb are being analyzed in France, he said.
He went on to say that the suspect was initially seen as a man with a heavy build, wearing a black top with long sleeves, light colored shorts and a black bucket hat. An extensive review of CCTV footage from previous days and witness testimony has redirected the investigation towards the woman who was disguised as a man.
Eric Arella, Monaco’s director of public security, held up copies of the Interpol notice at a press conference with the prosecutor.
Two photos included in Berezovska’s announcement show a woman wearing a white T-shirt with black stripes, one of which is in the street where she holds what appears to be some kind of electrical device, trailing a cord, in her left hand.
The attack has shocked the country on the Mediterranean coast, which is one of the world’s smallest independent states known for its rich population. Prince Albert II of Monaco described it as an “outrageous act” and said that all public services were mobilized to ensure safety.
Ukraine is believed to have attacked and targeted Russian civilians during the war, although those attacks were confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.
In December 2024, Ukrainian security forces claimed responsibility for the assassination of the head of the Russian military’s nuclear, biological and chemical forces.
Western intelligence officials have recently said that Russia has launched a campaign of targeted assassinations since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
