Suspect linked to Monaco bomb attack on millionaire breaks silence from prison

A former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a bomb attack in Monaco in June has given his first on-record account from prison in Kyiv. Vitalii Zhykovych told the BBC that he believed the operation was ordered by senior members of HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency. The case centres on an attempted assassination that badly injured businessman Vadym Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son.

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Zhykovych spoke from prison in Kyiv through his lawyer and described himself as a freelancer for Ukraine's SBU security service. He said Anastasia Berezovska, the woman seen on camera planting the bomb in Monaco, was his agent. He also alleged that Vladyslav Reut, an active-duty intelligence officer from HUR whom he called "The Boss", proposed the operation against Yermolayev and said it had been authorised by Reut's superiors.

The blast left Yermolayev, his son and his partner badly hurt, with the partner suffering catastrophic injuries. Yermolayev later described their survival as nothing short of a miracle. A week after the bombing, Berezovska's body was found in woods west of Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head, adding a second death investigation to the wider case.

Zhykovych has denied sending her to kill anyone and denied killing her. The allegations matter because they point to a possible link between a high-profile attack in Monaco and competing claims inside Ukraine's security structures. Zhykovych's account, if tested and supported, could raise questions about command responsibility, the use of informal operatives and the extent to which military intelligence may have been involved.

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The case also has cross-border implications because it connects an alleged attack in one European jurisdiction with a separate death investigation in Ukraine. According to Zhykovych, Reut initially asked to use Berezovska for the bombing, but he refused because she was not fully trained. He said Reut then agreed to send her for reconnaissance instead and later communicated directly with her without involving him.

Zhykovych also alleged that Reut provided her with the explosives. Reut initially confessed to investigators and led them to a shallow grave, but later changed his testimony in court and blamed Zhykovych. The Monaco blast has already drawn attention because of the severity of the injuries and the unusual path the case has taken since June.

Zhykovych appeared in open court during the summer before speaking publicly from prison, and his latest account is the first time he has set out his version in detail. HUR has previously said it is committed to a full investigation and to providing comprehensive answers, but it has not publicly addressed the latest claims in the interview. What remains unclear is whether any of Zhykovych's allegations can be independently verified, including who authorised the operation and what role, if any, senior figures played.

It is also not clear how investigators will reconcile the conflicting accounts given by Zhykovych and Reut. The next developments are likely to depend on further court proceedings, any response from HUR and the progress of the separate inquiry into Berezovska's death.

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