UKRAINIAN OLIGARCH CLAIMS KYIV SPY AGENCY BEHIND MONACO BOMB BLAST

Ukrainian property tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev has claimed that Ukraine's military intelligence directorate was responsible for a bombing that injured him, his partner and their 13-year-old son in Monaco on 29 June. A homemade explosive device packed with bolts and pellets detonated in the foyer of the Sun Palace apartment building where Yermolaiev lived. His partner Anna Nasobina sustained injuries described as the loss of her legs in the blast. Yermolaiev released a statement through his legal representatives asserting involvement by serving officers of Ukraine's main intelligence directorate, known as HUR.

Yermolaiev did not provide evidence to support the allegation and claimed that former or serving senior HUR officials were aware of the assassination plot. Ukrainian citizen Anastasiia Berezovska, identified as a prime suspect in the bombing investigation, was found dead near Kyiv on 6 July with investigators stating she had been shot. A serving HUR officer, Vladyslav Reut, appeared in court charged with Berezovska's murder, alongside co-defendant Vitalii Zhykovych, who worked for the SBU, Ukraine's internal security and counterintelligence agency. Both men have denied the charges against them.

The bombing and subsequent allegations form part of an ongoing dispute involving Ukrainian oligarchs and state security agencies. Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on Yermolaiev's claims against HUR. The investigation into the Monaco blast remains active, with legal proceedings continuing in Ukraine regarding those charged in connection with the incident.