Ukrainian multimillionaire Vadim Ermolaev came out of coma in a hospital in Marseille after surviving an unprecedented bombing in the Principality of Monaco. The explosion occurred on June 29, 2026, at around 9:00 p.m. in front of a luxury residential building on “Italy” Blvd., near the French border. The attack, which left three people injured, has sparked a major international police operation.
The main suspect: A woman disguised as a man
Authorities in Monaco and France have identified the perpetrator of the crime thanks to hundreds of security cameras.
- Identity: The main suspect is 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen Anastasia Berezovskaya. She arrived in Germany in 2022 with refugee status from the Luhansk region.
- Disguise: In the footage, Berezovskaya is dressed in men's clothes and a black hat to conceal her identity. She left a backpack full of an improvised explosive device, bolts and bullets in the building's lobby, then detonated it remotely.
- Escape: After the attack, the woman fled on foot to the French town of Beausoleil. From there she rented a car with German registration and drove through Italy to Germany.
- International wanted: The Monaco Public Prosecutor's Office has issued an arrest warrant, and Interpol has issued a Red Notice for her arrest. German police have already searched her last known residence in the state of Hesse. A specific mark of the wanted person is a large tattoo of a snake on her right arm.
Condition of the victims and versions of the attack
The investigation is being conducted on charges of attempted premeditated murder of more than one person and intentional causing of an explosion. The prosecutor's office has officially ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Ermolaev was seriously injured in the detonation. His partner, 46-year-old Anna Nasobina, was the most seriously injured, and doctors in Nice were forced to amputate both of her legs. Their 13-year-old son is in a children's hospital with minor injuries and burns.
French and Monegasque investigators, assisted by three investigating judges, are working on three main versions of the motives:
Link to organized crime: The oligarch's business contacts are being checked. Ermolaev is among the 30 richest Ukrainians (wealth over $200 million), but was sanctioned by Kiev in 2023 for commercial activity in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.
Revenge for his son: In December 2025, the entrepreneur's son – Artur Ermolaev, was arrested in Cyprus and extradited to Estonia for his involvement in a network of fake call centers for financial fraud. He made a deal with the prosecutor's office and turned in his accomplices, which points the investigation to an act of revenge by the partners involved.
Personal or private motive: A conflict of a personal nature cannot be ruled out, since Berezovskaya did not act alone. Two men were detained and questioned in Monaco, but were later released due to lack of evidence.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine also opened criminal proceedings for the attempted murder of three Ukrainian citizens and formed an international investigation team.