Kyiv court hears Ukrainian agent deny killing Monaco bomb suspect

A Ukrainian intelligence officer accused of killing Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected in a Monaco assassination plot, has told a court in Kyiv that he did not fire the fatal shot. Vladyslav Reut made the claim during a custody hearing on Thursday, reversing an earlier account in which he had appeared to admit the killing and led investigators to her grave in woodland west of the capital. The case is drawing attention because it involves an active officer from Ukraine's military intelligence agency and a former employee of the security service.

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In court, Reut said he "categorically denied" murdering Berezovska and blamed his alleged accomplice, Vitalii Zhykovych, instead. Prosecutors said Berezovska arrived in Ukraine two days after the blast in Monaco, before she had been identified as the main suspect in the alleged plot. They also said investigators traced the two men through phone records and identified cash and cryptocurrency transfers to her accounts.

Both suspects appeared in separate hearings with their hands cuffed, their faces covered, and heavily armed guards surrounding them. The hearing took place under tight security in Kyiv, with the two men seated inside a glass courtroom enclosure and kept under close guard. Reut is described as an active and decorated officer of the GUR military intelligence agency, while Zhykovych worked for the SBU security service until recently.

The prosecutor's account suggests investigators moved quickly after Berezovska was linked to the Monaco case, using digital records and financial transfers to build their case. The exact sequence of events around her death, however, remains disputed. The case matters because it sits at the intersection of domestic criminal proceedings, intelligence work and an alleged cross-border assassination plot.

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The target of the Monaco blast was businessman Vadim Yermolayev, who made his money in cognac and real estate and later lost his Ukrainian citizenship. He has also been sanctioned by Kyiv over business activity in Crimea after Russia's annexation of the peninsula. That background gives the case wider political sensitivity, especially given the involvement of state security personnel.

The allegations also raise questions about how the suspected plot was organised and why Berezovska was killed after arriving in Ukraine. According to the court account, investigators believe the suspects used her phone records and money transfers to connect the pair to her. Reut's earlier apparent confession, followed by his denial in court, adds another layer of uncertainty to a case already marked by secrecy and armed courtroom security.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday evening that he would have "additional relevant reports" in the coming days. What remains unclear is the motive behind the Monaco blast and the full role of each suspect in Berezovska's death. It is also not yet clear how the court will assess Reut's change of story or whether further charges could follow.

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