A red notice has been issued by the International Criminal Police Organization for a 39-year-old Ukrainian national suspected of bombing an apartment building in Monaco. The explosion, which occurred on June 30, reportedly targeted a Russian-linked Ukrainian oligarch and injured several individuals, including a Ukrainian-born construction magnate. The suspect, identified as Anastasiia Berezovska, is wanted on charges of attempted murder, depositing an explosive device on a public highway with criminal intent, and criminal association. She is described as a dark-haired, German-speaking woman with a possible tattoo of a snake on her arm.
Initial reports of the incident suggested that the suspect was a heavy-set man, but further investigation revealed that a woman had been casing the apartment building in the days leading up to the explosion. Prosecutors reviewed security footage and found that a man wearing a fishing hat had been seen near the building, but on June 28, the man was absent and a woman, believed to be Berezovska, took his place. The woman's actions, including repeated reconnaissance operations and pauses in front of the building, demonstrate a clear intention to target the victims.
The investigation into the bombing has led authorities across the Monaco-France border, through Italy, and into Germany, where Berezovska's apartment was raided. The sophistication of the explosive device used in the bombing has raised questions about whether Berezovska acted alone. The device's complexity and the modus operandi suggest that she may have had assistance, although no motive for the attack has been officially disclosed.
The target of the bombing, a 58-year-old construction tycoon, has been sanctioned by the Ukrainian government for allegedly engaging with Russia and facilitating business transactions in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The tycoon, who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 and has been a citizen of Cyprus since 2019, was injured in the explosion, along with a woman and a 13-year-old child who are believed to be members of his family.
The authorities are continuing to investigate the bombing and are working to apprehend Berezovska, who is now the subject of an international manhunt. The case has raised concerns about the potential for further attacks and the need for increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies to prevent such incidents in the future.
