EXPLORE THIS STORY
MONACO BOMBING: INTERPOL HUNTS A UKRAINIAN SUSPECT
Warsaw is analyzing the Monaco attack through the lens of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict: suspect Berezowska and the controversial past of the target, who was sanctioned for activities in Crimea, suggest a structured operation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
Warsaw, July 4, 2026. Poland is closely following a case in which Interpol has issued a red notice against Anastasia Berezowska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national born on June 26, 1987, suspected of carrying out a bombing attack in Monaco. The target of the attack was Vadym Yermolaev, a Ukrainian oligarch from Dnipro, who is active in real estate and the food industry and has been a resident of the principality since at least 2021.
The profile of the intended victim has drawn the attention of Polish media. In 2023, Yermolaev had been sanctioned by Ukraine for his activities in Russian-occupied Crimea. He then renounced his Ukrainian citizenship to obtain a Cypriot passport - a move that associates him with interests linked to Moscow and sheds light on the context of the attack.
The operation was meticulously planned. According to the Monaco prosecutor's office, the suspect had been surveilling the area for several days, disguised in a dark hat and camouflage clothing. She deposited a suspicious package in front of a building and then detonated the explosion by remote control at the exact moment her targets were approaching. Three people were injured, including a teenager. Deputy Prosecutor Morgan Raymond emphasized that the complexity of the device "suggests that the woman did not act alone".
The Interpol notice states that she is being pursued for attempted murder as part of an organized crime group, by placing an explosive device on a public road. Surveillance video recordings initially led investigators to identify the suspect as a man; it was only when they spotted an image of her with her long dark hair that the identification could be corrected.
After the attack, Berezowska fled Monaco on foot to France, then took a vehicle registered in Germany to cross Italy before reaching Germany. She is reported to be in Frankfurt, in the state of Hesse, where the Hessian LKA confirmed that they had searched her rented apartment on the outskirts of Frankfurt and seized her vehicle, with the evidence being transmitted to the Monaco authorities. The suspect speaks German fluently and remains at large.
In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and allegations of destabilization operations in Europe - including the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline - Polish media perceive this attack as a sign of a structured network capable of acting with precision at the heart of Western Europe.
Poland's dominant geopolitical perspective frames the attack in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, emphasizing the target's past ties to Crimea, while potentially overlooking other possible criminal leads
Poland's government prefers a European security angle, highlighting the suspect's cross-border escape through multiple EU countries, which implicitly underscores the gaps in police coordination
The blast's collateral victims receive limited coverage, with the two other injured individuals, including a teenager, largely absent from reports, which do not provide updates on their health status
Discover how another country covers this same story.