Ukrainian Intelligence Officer Shifts Allegations in Monaco Bomb Case

Sun Sep 06 2026 12:38:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A former Ukrainian military intelligence agent now denies killing the woman suspected of a Monaco bomb plot, blaming his accomplice and sparking new questions.

Vladyslav Reut, a GUR agent who once confessed to shooting Anastasiia Berezovska, has reversed his statement, claiming he did not fire the fatal shot. Reut now asserts the 50‑year‑old co‑suspect, Vitalii Zhykovych, was the one who killed the woman. The case connects a Monaco bomb scare, a multimillionaire businessman, and a Ukrainian court hearing, raising doubts about motives and potential foreign involvement. While both men remain in custody, Ukrainian prosecutors say the murder was premeditated and coordinated. Investigators are exploring links to Russian connections and organized crime as part of a complex inquiry.

Ukrainian intelligence officer shifts story over Monaco bomb suspect

Vladyslav Reut, a 34‑year‑old officer in Ukraine’s military‑intelligence agency (GUR), appeared in a Kyiv courtroom on Thursday for a custody hearing. Earlier, he had stated that he shot Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of planting a bomb near a Monaco business group heading for a multimillionaire, Vadim Yermolayev. In a surprising twist, Reut now says he never pulled the trigger, pointing the blame at his former SBU colleague Vitalii Zhykovych.

Reut’s own testimony had been pivotal. Using phone records and cash‑transfer data, investigators linked the two men to Berezovska, who had arrived in Ukraine two days after a blast in Monaco. Reut directed detectives to a sealed grave in a forest west of Kyiv where Berezovska’s body was buried.

During the hearing, both suspects were cuffed and surrounded by heavily armed security staff. They sat behind glass panels, their faces masked except for their eyes, as television cameras streamed the proceedings to the public.

In his revised account, Reut says Zhykovych loaded a modified Makarov pistol in his rucksack and drove his BMW to seize Berezovska from a highway near Kyiv. Zhykovych allegedly ordered a “shoot‑or‑be‑shot” instruction, leading Reut to claim that Zhykovych killed the woman himself.

Reut insists he was threatened by Zhykovych, who warned him that anyone who “touched my family” would be harmed. Zhykovych’s defense lawyer dismisses the allegation as a ploy, noting that the former SBU man was a “patriot” who fought against Russian forces.

Prosecutor Dmytro Tkachuk tells the BBC that the case has many unanswered questions, including whether Russian‑linked networks are implicated. Both defendants are denied bail and remain in custody while the investigation continues.