The Monaco Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday, July 3, that investigators believe the suspect behind the bombing on Monday, June 29, in the tiny Mediterranean principality did not act alone, redirecting the hunt for a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman who disguised herself as a man to plant the explosive device.
Why This Matters
• International manhunt underway: Interpol has issued a red notice for Anastasiia Berezovska, who fled through France and Italy in a rented car with German plates.• Sophisticated operation: Investigators say the suspect conducted multiple reconnaissance trips and used a remote-detonated bomb, suggesting planning and possible accomplices.• Victims remain hospitalized: While the 13-year-old boy's condition has stabilized, the adult female victim remains critical after the June 29 attack.
Video Analysis Reveals Female Suspect in Male Disguise
Public Prosecutor Morgan Raymond revealed at a press conference on July 3 that the breakthrough came through "expanded analysis of urban surveillance footage" combined with a critical eyewitness account. A viral surveillance photograph initially led most observers to believe investigators were searching for a male suspect—someone wearing a black bucket hat, dark long-sleeved shirt, and light-colored shorts, face largely obscured.
But when a witness who had direct contact with the individual provided their statement, detectives went back through the video archives. On June 28, the day the supposed male suspect was absent from footage, investigators spotted a woman following the exact same route around the crime scene. Her movements, pauses in front of the building, and overall behavior matched perfectly with the bucket-hat-wearing individual from other days. A prominent tattoo on her right arm—possibly depicting a snake, according to the Interpol alert—clinched the identification.
The suspect's last known residence was in the Main-Taunus district of Germany, where authorities have already conducted searches of a rented apartment without locating Berezovska. She speaks German and has dark hair, according to the international police notice.
The Target: A Controversial Oligarch With Russian Ties
While Monaco authorities have not officially named the victims, multiple sources confirm the intended target was Vadym Yermolaiev (also spelled Ermolaev), a 58-year-old Ukrainian-born businessman who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 and acquired Cypriot nationality. Forbes ranked him as Ukraine's 39th wealthiest person in 2020, with an estimated fortune of $230M derived primarily from real estate development and industrial holdings.
Yermolaiev has lived in Monaco since at least 2021, but his past caught up with him in December 2023 when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's government imposed 10-year sanctions against him. The measures—including asset freezes and suspension of financial activities—stem from his continued business operations in Russian-occupied Crimea, specifically significant interests in the wine and spirits sector. Kyiv accused him of collaborating with the occupation, allegations his representatives have denied.
French media and police sources have floated several theories about the motive. One strand involves "commercial interest conflicts," another centers on allegations that Yermolaiev's eldest son participated in a large-scale call center fraud scheme. A former French intelligence officer suggested the attack might have been timed to prevent Yermolaiev from addressing the European Parliament about corruption in Ukraine—a presentation that could have been viewed as provocative. Ukrainian media have also linked his name to ongoing fraud investigations and organized crime allegations, though none have been proven in court.
What This Means for Residents
The bombing—which detonated in the lobby of a small apartment building just steps from the France-Monaco border—has sent shockwaves through a principality with only two square kilometers of territory and roughly 40,000 inhabitants. The city-state's reputation as one of Europe's safest enclaves faces a rare test as the investigation unfolds.
For those living in Portugal and following European security developments, this case illustrates how transnational criminal networks and geopolitical grudges can manifest violently even in seemingly impenetrable havens. The suspect's ability to move through multiple European jurisdictions—France, Italy, and Germany—using a rented vehicle highlights ongoing challenges in cross-border policing, despite robust Schengen cooperation mechanisms.
An Interpol red notice—the organization's highest-level alert—enables law enforcement in any of Interpol's 196 member countries to apprehend a suspect and hold them for extradition proceedings. For EU residents including those in Portugal, this mechanism represents a critical tool for coordinating international arrests while respecting each nation's judicial sovereignty and EU legal frameworks.
The explosive remnants are being analyzed in France, suggesting Monaco's law enforcement is leveraging the technical resources of its larger neighbor. The principality's small size means it routinely collaborates with French police for major investigations, though Monaco maintains its own judicial system under the authority of the Sovereign Prince.
Medical Bulletin: Mixed Outcomes
The three victims—Yermolaiev, his female partner, and his 13-year-old son—were rushed to separate facilities after the remote-detonated explosion. The teenager was admitted to Lenval Children's Hospital in Nice with injuries classified as non-life-threatening and has since stabilized. Yermolaiev himself was initially in critical condition but has shown improvement by midweek.
His partner, however, remains in critical condition at the University Hospital of Nice, her clinical status not yet stabilized according to the latest medical briefings. The severity of her injuries underscores the explosive's potency and the close proximity of the victims when the device was triggered.
The Hunt Continues
Raymond's assertion that the suspect "did not act alone" raises the stakes for investigators. Two men were initially detained in connection with the attack but subsequently released due to lack of evidence. Whether those individuals remain under surveillance or if authorities are pursuing entirely new leads remains unclear.
The Interpol red notice issued for Berezovska means she can be apprehended in any of the organization's 196 member countries. The charges against her include attempted murder, placement of an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal association.
Her flight path—from Monaco through France into Italy and eventually back toward Germany—suggests either pre-planned escape routes or access to a support network capable of facilitating rapid cross-border movement. Rental car agencies and border surveillance footage are presumably central to the ongoing manhunt.
Broader Implications
Monaco's status as a tax haven and refuge for wealthy individuals from the former Soviet Union means conflicts rooted in Eastern European business disputes and geopolitical fallout occasionally surface in the principality. This incident highlights how oligarchs sanctioned by their home countries can become targets abroad, especially when their business interests overlap with occupied territories or contested political narratives.
For Portugal-based investors and expatriates monitoring European security trends, the case serves as a reminder that even Europe's most exclusive zip codes are not immune to violence linked to international organized crime or state-adjacent actors. The involvement of a Ukrainian national, a Cyprus-naturalized Ukrainian target, and German-based logistics in a Monaco attack illustrates the transnational nature of modern criminal operations.
As the investigation progresses, authorities will likely focus on financial flows, communications records, and any additional surveillance footage that might reveal accomplices or the network behind the attack. Monaco's small size means the investigation has effectively become a pan-European operation, coordinated through Interpol and involving French, German, Italian, and Cypriot authorities at minimum.
