Suspect in businessman Iermolaiev attack entered Ukraine legally with no Interpol alert in border databases
Anastasiia Berezovska, suspected in the bombing attack on businessman Vadym Iermolaiev in Monaco, legally crossed into Ukraine on July 1, with no data in border databases at the time indicating she was wanted by Interpol, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported.
"As of the moment this citizen of Ukraine crossed the state border on July 1, 2026, there were no restrictions or circumstances related to the passage of this citizen of Ukraine. During her border check, no database alerts — including from Interpol — indicated she was wanted," the SBGS said.
The agency noted that all checkpoints along Ukraine's border are connected to Interpol databases, and that any person listed as wanted should be flagged during screening.
An Interpol red notice — a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a suspect regardless of where they are found — was reportedly issued for Berezovska on July 3, two days after she had already entered Ukraine on July 1.
More about the attack
An explosion occurred at a residential building in Monaco, injuring a family of three Ukrainians. Initial reports identified them as businessman Vadym Iermolaiev, his wife, and son. It later emerged that the woman present was not Iermolaiev's wife but another woman, who had both legs amputated as a result of the blast.
Monaco Prime Minister Christophe Mirmand initially described the attack as a planned terrorist act, saying the explosive device may have contained bolts and metal fragments. Monaco's prosecutor general later disputed that characterization.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing its own sources, reported that French law enforcement believes the explosion may have been organized by organized crime figures and could be linked to call centers operating in Dnipro. French media reported that investigators were also examining possible involvement by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU).
Interpol later named 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen Anastasiia Berezovska as the suspect in the attack and issued a red notice for her arrest.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing law enforcement sources, subsequently reported that Berezovska's buried body, with a gunshot wound to the head, was found near Kyiv. The Prosecutor General's Office later confirmed the discovery. Two suspects in her killing have been detained — an officer with Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate and a former law enforcement officer, one of whom has confessed, according to investigators.
Who is Vadym Iermolaiev?
Vadym Iermolaiev is a businessman from Dnipro whose net worth Forbes estimated at $220 million in 2021. He is one of Dnipro's largest real estate developers and also has interests in financial markets, alcohol production, and agriculture.
hromadske journalists previously found that Alef Group, a company controlled by Iermolaiev, was contracted to supply granite for the construction of Ukraine's National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv.
According to the SBU, Iermolaiev has held Cypriot citizenship since 2018 and re-registered his wine and spirits business in Russian-occupied Crimea under Russian law, paying taxes to the Russian state budget — actions that led Ukraine to impose sanctions on him.
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