In a surprising court appearance, Vitalii Zhykovych, a former Ukrainian security services officer, denied silence on a June bombing in Monaco that aimed at the wealthy businessman Vadym Yermolayev. Zhykovych tells the BBC that the incident was not a rogue operation but a mission directly ordered from senior levels of HUR, the country’s military intelligence agency.
During an interview prepared by his lawyer, Zhykovych admitted that he was a “freelancer” for the SBU and that Anastasia Berezovska, who was later murdered in Ukraine, served as his operative in the Monaco attack. He claims Berezovska was only given the bomb after he refused to deploy her alone, insisting she was not sufficiently trained.
Reut, an active‑duty HUR officer now charged with Berezovska’s murder, initially confessed to investigators and led them to the woman’s shallow grave but later altered his testimony to blame Zhykovych. Zhykovych now says Reut suggested the target was chosen because Yermolayev allegedly funded the annexation of Crimea through Russian‑occupied territory.
Yermolayev, who renounced his Ukrainian passport and holds Cypriot citizenship, repeatedly denies any involvement with Russian interests. He says the attack was an unprovoked act of xenophobia, and he has called for “truth, protection, and justice.”
While Ukrainian investigators focus on this chain of alleged state‑sanctioned violence, international bodies like Interpol are reporting on the blurred lines between espionage and organized crime. The Monaco blast, captured on CCTV, involved a bomb hidden in a bag placed on the victim’s doorstep. The explosion, which injured Yermolayev’s family, shocked all present, even the bomber, according to Zhykovych.
In Kyiv, the judge reminded Zhykovych that he was speaking in open court, yet he disclosed that there were two intended targets, the second possibly a pro‑Russian blogger convicted in absentia. The case remains under investigation, with authorities saying they are conducting a full inquiry into both the blast in Monaco and the subsequent killing in Ukraine.
