Interpol names suspect in Monaco parcel bombing

Interpol has issued a Red Notice for a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman suspected of carrying out a parcel bombing in Monaco that seriously wounded a Ukrainian-born businessman and injured two others, including a 13-year-old child.

Anastasiia Berezovska is wanted in Monaco on charges including attempted murder and placing an explosive device on a public road with criminal intent, according to Interpol. The BBC reported that she is also wanted on suspicion of criminal conspiracy. The international police agency describes her as a German speaker with a tattoo on her right arm, possibly depicting a snake.

The attack happened shortly before 9 p.m. Monday, when an individual left a package in the entrance hall of a small apartment building. It exploded moments later as three residents — a couple and a 13-year-old — were entering the building.

Monaco Deputy Public Prosecutor Morgan Raymon said the bomb was detonated remotely. The remains of the device are being analyzed in France, he said.

The suspect was captured on CCTV wearing a dark bucket hat. Investigators initially identified the person seen near the scene as heavily built and appearing to be male, dressed in a dark long-sleeved top, light-colored shorts and a black bucket hat. Raymon said a wider review of surveillance footage from previous days, combined with witness testimony, redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man.

The suspect was then seen fleeing toward Beausoleil, the French commune bordering Monaco, the BBC reported. Raymon said her last known residence was in Germany and that authorities believe she fled through France and then Italy in a rental car.

German authorities have joined the investigation. Hessian Police said special forces searched the rented apartment of a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman in the Main-Taunus district on Thursday. A vehicle she used was also searched and seized.

“Evidence has been secured and will be handed over to the Monegasque authorities. The Hessian security authorities are supporting the Monegasque authorities in their investigations and are in close contact with them,” Hessian Police said. “The woman being sought is currently on the run. An international arrest warrant has been issued.”

Monaco authorities have not publicly confirmed the victims’ identities. French and Ukrainian media, as well as local reports cited by the BBC, said the attack targeted Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner and his 13-year-old son.

Yermolaiev, 58, is a wealthy businessman originally from Ukraine who lives in Monaco and is now a Cypriot citizen after renouncing Ukrainian citizenship in 2019, the BBC reported. The broadcaster said he is a real estate developer with major interests in the wine and alcohol business in Russian-annexed Crimea and has been under sanctions imposed by the government in Kyiv since 2023. Forbes ranked him as the 39th richest Ukrainian in 2020, with a fortune of $230 million, according to the BBC.

The three victims were treated in hospitals in Nice. The two adults were seriously wounded and taken to Nice University Hospital, while the child, who had minor injuries, was admitted in non-critical condition to Lenval children’s hospital. AFP reported Wednesday that the man was no longer in a life-or-death situation, while the woman’s condition had not stabilized.

Monaco’s prosecutor thanked police in Monaco and France for cooperation that made it possible “to identify, in a particularly short time, the person suspected of having carried out the attack.” Police are also examining whether Berezovska had any accomplices.

The bombing shocked Monaco, the small Mediterranean state known for its concentration of wealthy residents. Prince Albert II condemned the attack, calling it “an odious act” and, in another statement cited by the BBC, a “heinous crime.” He said public services had been mobilized to ensure security.