BBC News
· collected 2026-10-08 · by Sarah Rainsford, Mariana Matveichuk
A former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a bomb attack in Monaco in June that targeted a multi-millionaire says he believed it was ordered by senior members of HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency.
asserted
it → link → HUR
Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son were badly hurt in the blast and his partner suffered catastrophic injuries.
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partner → bear → injuries
Yermolayev later described their survival as "nothing short of a miracle".
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Yermolayev → describe → miracle
Zhykovych describes himself as a "freelancer" for Ukraine's SBU security service and says Anastasia Berezovska, the woman caught on camera planting the bomb in Monaco, was his "agent".
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Berezovska → describe → Monaco
A week after the bombing, Berezovska's body was discovered in the woods west of Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head.
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body → discover → head
But Zhykovych insists he did not send her to kill, and nor did he kill her.
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he → insist → her
He was arrested and accused of her murder together with an active-duty intelligence officer from HUR called Vladyslav Reut.
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He → arrest → HUR
Reut initially confessed to investigators, and led them to the shallow grave.
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Reut → confess → grave
But days later in court, he changed his testimony to blame Zhykovych.
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he → change → Zhykovych
For a long time, Zhykovych himself stayed silent.
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Zhykovych → stay → time
Now, responding to questions from the BBC, he alleges that Reut - who he refers to as "The Boss" - had "proposed the operation" in Monaco against Vadym Yermolayev.
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he → respond → Yermolayev
He understood it was an official mission.
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it → understand → ?
"As Reut informed me, this operation […] had been authorised and approved by Reut's superiors, who served in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence [HUR]," he says.
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he → inform → Defence
Distancing himself from the explosion itself, he alleges that Reut asked to use Berezovska for the bombing and when Zhykovych refused – he says she was not fully trained – Reut agreed to send her for reconnaissance instead.
Reut then communicated directly with Bereszovska without including him, according to Zhykovych, who alleges that Reut also provided her with the explosives.
The BBC asked HUR to comment on the latest claims.
uncertain
BBC → distance → claims
The agency has previously said that is it "committed to a full investigation" and providing "comprehensive support" to law enforcement bodies.
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it → say → bodies
The SBU has described Zhykovych in a statement only as a "former law enforcement officer".
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SBU → describe → officer
Yermolayev was attacked in Monaco as he and his family were returning from an evening meal on the seafront.
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he → attack → seafront
A surveillance video shows Berezovska walking slightly in front of the group, then leaving the device in a bag on their doorstep.
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Berezovska → show → doorstep
It detonates just as they get close, apparently shocking even Berezovska with its force.
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they → detonate → force
Yermolayev later said he believed that serving HUR officers, "individuals close to the agency's current and former leadership", were linked to the attack.
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officers → say → attack
He called for "the truth, protection, and justice".
Berezovska was quickly identified as the suspected bomber and on 2 July her image, taken from CCTV footage, was circulated by Interpol.
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image → call → Interpol
She had already fled, first driving through Italy and Germany, then taking a bus from Frankfurt to Ukraine.
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She → flee → Ukraine
Before she could be caught and questioned though, she was driven to the woods by Reut and Zhykovych and killed.
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she → catch → Reut
Each blames the other for her shooting.
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Each → blame → shooting
The shocking case has prompted intense speculation, including over who may have wanted Yermolayev dead and why, and whether this could have been a state-ordered assassination attempt, a rogue operation or some kind of criminal score-settling.
uncertain
this → prompt → settling
The businessman himself, who renounced his Ukrainian passport some years ago and now has Cypriot citizenship, has dismissed multiple theories.
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who → renounce → theories
They include the idea the attack might be linked to a struggle between organised crime groups involved in highly lucrative scam call-centres in Ukraine.
uncertain
attack → include → Ukraine
Earlier this year, a court in Estonia convicted Yermolayev's son, Artur, of defrauding its citizens out of millions of euros through such "offisy", as the scam networks are known in Ukraine.
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networks → convict → Ukraine
Vadym Yermolayev told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper that he "never had anything to do with anything" in the case.
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he → tell → case
Now Zhykovych has put forward his own theory to us.
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Zhykovych → put → us
He alleges that Reut told him the bombing was in retaliation for "funding the annexation of Crimea", which he understood to mean Yermolayev was paying taxes to Russia from businesses in Russian-occupied Crimea.
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Yermolayev → allege → Crimea
"In my view, this constitutes grounds for the operation," he communicated from prison.
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he → constitute → prison
Yermolayev has repeatedly denied any remaining business interests linked to Russia.
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Yermolayev → deny → Russia
At his most recent custody hearing in Kyiv, surrounded by heavily armed guards, Zhykovych spoke publicly for the first time since his arrest.
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Zhykovych → surround → arrest
At one point Zhykovych said Reut had in fact told him the attack in Monaco was not "authorised".
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attack → say → Monaco
"Someone had ordered this target from the civilian side," Zhykovych said, without explaining.
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Zhykovych → order → side
The judge then interrupted, reminding him that he was addressing an open court.
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he → interrupt → court
Zhykovych also revealed that Reut originally talked of two targets.
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Reut → reveal → targets
When we asked, he said he could not disclose the second name.
uncertain
he → ask → name
Other sources strongly suggest it was a pro-Russian blogger tried and convicted in absentia last year by Ukraine of treason.
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it → suggest → treason
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
