Ukrainian intelligence agent denies killing woman linked to Monaco bomb plot

A Ukrainian intelligence agent has denied killing Anastasiia Berezovska in a courtroom in Kyiv, after previously confessing to the killing. Vladyslav Reut said he did not kill Berezovska, who is suspected of trying to assassinate a multimillionaire in Monaco. He instead blamed his co-defendant, Vitalii Zhykovych, for the killing.

Sponsored

The claims were made during court proceedings in the Ukrainian capital, where BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford was present. The case links two separate episodes that have drawn attention: an alleged bomb plot in Monaco and a shooting in Ukraine. The latest hearing has now brought the focus back to the credibility of Reut's earlier confession and the role of Zhykovych.

Berezovska's alleged involvement in the Monaco assassination attempt is central to the wider case, although the supporting material does not identify the intended target or give further details about the plot. Reut's reversal raises questions about how investigators and prosecutors will treat the conflicting accounts. It also suggests the case may hinge on witness testimony and the court's assessment of competing versions of events.

The case has significance beyond the immediate courtroom dispute because it appears to connect an alleged international assassination plot with a killing in Ukraine. That gives it a cross-border dimension and places it within a broader pattern of cases involving intelligence-linked figures and violent crime. The limited confirmed details mean the legal and factual picture remains incomplete, but the proceedings are already drawing attention because of the unusual combination of locations and allegations.

Sponsored

At present, the confirmed facts are limited to Reut's denial, his earlier confession, and his accusation against Zhykovych. The material does not say when Berezovska was killed, how the shooting took place, or what evidence prosecutors have presented. It is also unclear whether the court has reached any ruling on the competing claims, or whether further hearings are expected to clarify the sequence of events.

What happens next will depend on how the Kyiv court weighs the statements from Reut and any evidence linking Zhykovych to the killing. The case may also shed more light on the alleged Monaco plot if prosecutors set out how the two strands are connected. For now, the main development is that one defendant has publicly withdrawn his confession and shifted blame to another accused man.

#Kyivcourt #VladyslavReut #AnastasiiaBerezovska #VitaliiZhykovych #Monacoplot