Inside the Monaco Bomb Plot: Ex‑Ukrainian Officer Claims State‑Backed Order

Fri Oct 09 2026 18:33:56 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A former Ukrainian security officer speaks from prison, claiming the June Monaco bomb targeting millionaire Vadym Yermolayev was authorised by military intelligence.

In a rare prison interview, former Ukrainian security services officer Vitalii Zhykovych claims that the June bomb attack on Monaco billionaire Vadym Yermolayev was ordered by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR. He says the operation was authorised by senior officials and involved a woman named Anastasia Berezovska who was later killed in an alleged shoot‑out in the woods near Kyiv. Zhykovych disputes being the mastermind, insisting he only acted as a freelancer and that the true orchestrator, officer Vladyslav Reut, was the one who set the plot in motion. The case has reignited speculation over whether the attack was a rogue state action, a criminal retaliation, or part of an internal power struggle. Yermolayev, a former Ukrainian citizen with Cypriot nationality, has dismissed all claims of involvement in Russian‑backed activities.

Inside the Monaco Bomb Plot: Ex‑Ukrainian Officer Claims State‑Backed Order

In an exclusive interview from a Kyiv prison, former Ukrainian security officer Vitalii Zhykovych alleges that the June bomb attack on Monaco billionaire Vadym Yermolayev was authorized by senior members of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). Zhykovych, who describes himself as a “freelancer” for the SBU, claims the operation was officially sanctioned and that he was merely a conduit for an agent named Anastasia Berezovska, who would later be killed in a disputed shoot‑out in the woods near Kyiv.

Yermolayev, who lost his family in the blast, has described the survival of his son and partner as a ‘miracle’, but has also repeatedly denied any ongoing ties to Russia. The case has fueled speculation that the attack was a rogue state operation, a criminal retaliation over alleged Russian‑backed business, or a cover for internal power struggles within Ukraine’s intelligence apparatus.

Zhykovych says the idea for the operation was pitched by military officer Vladyslav Reut, whom he refers to as “The Boss”. While Reut initially confessed and led investigators to Berezovska’s shallow grave, he later altered his testimony, blaming Zhykovych for the murder. In court, Zhykovych claims Reut authorised the plot but that he had no direct involvement in the actual launch, and that the attack was intended as retaliation for Yermolayev’s alleged support of the Crimea annexation.

The accused have been charged with murder and terrorism, and the investigation continues to probe the possible involvement of a second target—a pro‑Russian blogger reportedly convicted in absentia. As fresh details emerge, the international community is watching closely, while Ukrainian officials say they remain “committed to a full investigation” and are providing extensive support to law‑enforcement bodies.