A suspected bomber was captured on camera walking away calmly just before a massive explosion rocked a high-end apartment complex in an apparent assassination bid targeting a Ukrainian oligarch.
According to investigators, a backpack filled with explosives was left in the entrance of the Sun Palace apartment building moments before Vadim Ermolaev, also known as Vadym Yermolaiev, along with his partner Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son Ariel arrived at the scene.
Footage recently released by the Ukrainian prosecutor general depicts an individual walking away while conversing on a mobile phone shortly before the blast occurred in Monaco on June 29. Authorities suspect the person in the video to be Anastasiia Berezovska, a Ukrainian national.
Interpol had identified Berezovska as the main suspect in the attempted assassination, labeling her as “armed” and “dangerous.” The 39-year-old suspect was later discovered dead near Kyiv on July 6 after being shot. She was wanted on charges of attempted murder, planting an explosive device with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.
Following the explosion, Nasobina, aged 46, reportedly lost both legs, while Ermolaev sustained severe burns and shrapnel injuries, and their 13-year-old son was also harmed.
Monaco’s deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond mentioned that Berezovska allegedly disguised herself as a man during the attack.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko highlighted that critical footage was retrieved after attempts were made to erase it by the attackers. The video evidence from a surveillance camera near the crime scene was successfully restored by specialists despite deletion attempts.
Military intelligence officer Vladyslav Reut and co-defendant Vitalii Zhykovych, a former employee of Ukraine’s SBU security service, faced charges related to Berezovska’s murder in court. Both defendants denied the accusations.
Ermolaev accused officers from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, of orchestrating the bombing without presenting concrete evidence to support the claim.
Investigators are exploring possible connections between the bombing and allegations involving fraudulent call centers in Ukraine targeting victims across Europe, although no direct link has been established.
Ermolaev, who was ranked as Ukraine’s 39th richest individual by Forbes in 2020, remains in intensive care, emphasizing the severe injuries suffered by Nasobina and their son. He condemned the attack as a deliberate attempt on his family’s lives, expressing the gravity of the situation.
For more news updates, consider selecting Daily Mirror as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News to access the latest and most relevant news stories quickly.