Monaco’s investigation into Monday’s bomb attack has entered a new phase after authorities identified the principal suspect as 39-year-old Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, believed to have been living in Germany, and issued an international arrest warrant.
The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday that an Interpol Red Notice has been issued for Berezovska, who is alleged to have planted the explosive device that detonated outside the Monaco residence of Ukrainian-born businessman Vadim Ermolaev on June 29. She remains at large.
According to investigators, Berezovska carried out several reconnaissance visits in the days leading up to the attack. Surveillance footage reportedly places her in the area on June 26, while investigators traced a German-registered rental vehicle allegedly used during the operation. French police also identified her collecting the vehicle from an impound facility in nearby Beausoleil shortly before the explosion, where she is believed to have used a false identity.
Investigators say they have reconstructed her escape route from France into Italy before tracking her movements through several European countries to Germany. German police confirmed on Friday that they had searched her last known address in the Main-Taunus district and seized evidence, but Berezovska was not there. According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, she entered Germany as a Ukrainian refugee in 2022 and had not previously come to the attention of the authorities.
The bomb exploded as three residents returned home, seriously injuring Ermolaev, his partner and a 13-year-old boy. While the teenager has since been interviewed by investigators, the woman remains in a critical condition in hospital. Ermolaev is reported to have improved but remains under medical care.
A judicial investigation has been opened on charges including attempted murder and entrusted to three investigating judges. Nearly 70 judicial police officers have been assigned to the inquiry and around 300 investigative actions have already been carried out. Investigators say the focus now extends beyond Berezovska to include those who may have commissioned the attack and any accomplices who may have assisted in carrying it out.