Authorities have identified the woman behind the severe bomb attack that targeted Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev and his family in the heart of Monaco on Monday, June 29, at around 9:00 PM. The suspect has been named as Anastasia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national residing in Frankfurt, Germany, who is already known to law enforcement for her ties to organized crime. Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant (Red Notice) against her on charges of attempted murder, deploying an explosive device in a public space with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.
The blast occurred outside a residential building near Place des Moulins. According to investigators, the suspect shadowed the family, overtaking them at the last moment to plant a shrapnel-filled package hidden inside a backpack on the steps of their building's entrance. She then quickly fled the scene, detonating the device via remote control just as Ermolaev’s partner, Anna Nasobina, approached the entrance. While the oligarch and his 13-year-old son sustained minor injuries, the blast bore down directly on Nasobina. She remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit, having undergone double leg amputations.
The suspect initially managed to mislead investigators by disguising herself as a man. However, through a meticulous analysis of urban CCTV footage, a statement from a witness who interacted with her, and mobile phone tower tracking, detectives successfully compromised her cover. Evidence shows that Berezovska conducted several reconnaissance trips outside the residence in the days leading up to the attack, as well as on the very morning of the incident. Although two men were briefly detained, their custody was later revoked due to a lack of evidence, though Monaco’s prosecutor remains convinced that the suspect did not act alone.
Immediately after the bombing, Berezovska launched a rapid escape across Europe. She fled on foot to the nearby French border town of Beausoleil, where she had staged a rental car acquired in Germany. Driving the vehicle with German license plates, she crossed the Italian border at Ventimiglia before heading toward Switzerland, and was later spotted back on German soil. Her current whereabouts remain unknown. The official description released by authorities notes that the fugitive speaks German and has a prominent tattoo on her right arm, stretching from the shoulder to the elbow, believed to depict a snake.
At this stage, Monaco authorities, working in close coordination with French investigators, have ruled out terrorism. The primary motive under investigation points toward a gangland settling of scores linked to organized crime or the oligarch’s business dealings. Ermolaev, a prominent businessman originally from Dnipro who holds Cypriot citizenship, was sanctioned by Ukrainian authorities in 2023 over alleged financial ties to Russian-occupied Crimea.