In a Kyiv court during a custody hearing on Thursday, Vladyslav Reut, a Ukrainian intelligence agent who recently led investigators to the grave of Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of attempting to assassinate a multimillionaire and his family in Monaco, denied being responsible for her murder. He pointed the blame at his alleged accomplice instead.
The case has drawn significant interest due to Reut’s position as an active and decorated officer of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, GUR, and his co-defendant Vitalii Zhykovych’s previous employment with the SBU security service.President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that he would share further relevant information in the upcoming days regarding the case.
The motive behind the attack on Vadym Yermolayev in Monaco remains unclear. Yermolayev, a businessman involved in cognac and real estate, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and faced sanctions from Kyiv for conducting business in Crimea after its annexation by Russia.Both suspects, Reut and Zhykovych, appeared in court separately, with their hands restrained, surrounded by heavily armed security personnel. They kept their faces hidden behind masks and hoods during the proceedings.
During the court session, it was revealed that Berezovska arrived in Ukraine post the Monaco blast and before being identified as the prime suspect. Investigators focused on Zhykovych and Reut based on Berezovska’s phone records and financial transactions to her accounts.
Initially confessing to the murder and leading investigators to Berezovska’s burial site, Reut later changed his story in court, accusing Zhykovych of the crime. He claimed they drove to pick up Berezovska, who needed to be hidden for a “criminal matter,” and alleged Zhykovych shot her after ordering him to.
Reut now asserts that his confession was due to threats from Zhykovych towards his family’s safety. Zhykovych’s lawyer denied this new narrative and insisted that his client, described as a patriot, did not commit the murder.Both men have been charged with premeditated murder, with the prosecutor stating they acted together in a coordinated manner.
