The newly released CCTV appears to show a suspect moments before a bomb exploded outside the Monaco apartment building, seriously injuring a Ukrainian oligarch and his family.
This is the moment a suspected bomber calmly walks away before a huge explosion rips through a luxury apartment building in an alleged assassination attempt on a Ukrainian oligarch.
Investigators say a backpack packed with explosives had been left in the entrance hall of the Sun Palace apartment building moments before property tycoon Vadim Ermolaev, also known as Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son Ariel reached the entrance.
Newly released footage released by the Ukrainian prosecutor general appears to show a person walking away while speaking on a mobile phone moments before the blast in Monaco on June 29. Investigators believe the individual is Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska.
Interpol previously identified Berezovska as the prime suspect in the attempted assassination and described her as “armed” and “dangerous”.
The 39-year-old was later found dead near Kyiv on July 6 after being shot. She had been wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, placing an explosive device on a public road with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy.
Nasobina, 46, reportedly lost both legs as a result of the explosion. Ermolaev suffered severe burns and shrapnel wounds, while their 13-year-old son was also injured.
Monaco deputy prosecutor Morgan Raymond said Berezovska had allegedly disguised herself as man when carrying out the attack.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the footage had been recovered after those behind the attack allegedly tried to delete it.
He said: “Thanks to the professional work of the specialists of the Security Service of Ukraine, one of the key pieces of evidence, which the suspects tried to destroy, was successfully restored.
“This involves a video recording from the surveillance camera, which the perpetrators had previously installed near the crime scene to obtain confirmation of the order.
“Despite the fact that this evidence was deleted, the specialists of the SBU were able to restore it.”
Ukrainian military intelligence officer Vladyslav Reut appeared in court charged with Berezovska’s murder alongside co-defendant Vitalii Zhykovych, who until recently worked for Ukraine’s SBU security service. Both men deny the charges.
Ermolaev has accused officers from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as HUR, of orchestrating the bombing. He did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
In a statement released through his lawyers, he claimed: “Based on the investigative evidence available to us, we have no doubt that serving officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, commonly known as HUR, were directly involved in this attempted assassination.”
A spokesman for HUR denied the allegation, describing the claims as “subjective political statements” and warning they could damage the investigation.
Investigators have also been examining whether the bombing could be linked to allegations surrounding a network of fraudulent call centres in Ukraine that allegedly targeted victims across Europe. No connection has been established.
Ermolaev, a property developer ranked Ukraine’s 39th richest person by Forbes in 2020, said he remains in intensive care.
He said Nasobina suffered “catastrophic and irreversible injuries”, while their son sustained burns, fractures and other serious injuries. “This was not a warning,” he said. “It was an attempt to kill not only me, but my family as well.”
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