Kyiv court denies bail to men charged in killing of Monaco bombing suspect
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Kyiv's Pechersk District Court on July 9 ordered two men suspected of killing Anastasiia Berezovska, a suspect in the attempted assassination of businessman in Monaco, into pretrial detention for two months without bail.
The suspects are Vladyslav Reut, Ukraine's military intelligence officer, and Vitalii Zhykovych, former law enforcement officer.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian authorities have found the body of Ukrainian citizen Anastasiia Berezovska, whom Monaco suspects of carrying out the assassination attempt on businessman Vadym Iermolaiev on June 29.
On July 7, Reut has confessed to killing her. In court, however, he denied shooting Berezovska, claiming Zhykovych was responsible.
According to Reut, the other suspect asked him to pick up Berezovska, saying she was in danger and needed to be hidden. Reut said that after they arrived at a wooded area near the city of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast, Zhykovych ordered him to shoot her.
Reut said he refused, after which Zhykovych allegedly shot Berezovska, Suspilne reported. Zhykovych denies the allegations.
The two men were charged with premeditated murder. If found guilty, they may face life imprisonment.
According to investigators, Berezovska arrived in Ukraine on July 1, before Interpol placed her on its international wanted list in connection with the alleged attempted assassination of Iermolaiev.
Reut and Zhykovych had repeatedly transferred money to Berezovska via cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts, the law enforcement said. Investigators examined them as possible suspects in the attempted murder in Monaco.
Iermolaiev, his wife and their 13-year-old son were injured in an explosion in an apartment building in Monaco on June 29. The parents were both in critical condition, while the child was reportedly stable after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.
Iermolaiev is one of Dnipro’s wealthiest and most influential businesspeople and holds assets in the agribusiness, real estate, construction materials, and medical equipment industries.
