Monaco Bomb Case: Suspect Vitalii Zhykovych Gives First Interview to BBC

Fri Oct 09 2026 18:20:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A former Ukrainian security officer linked to a failed Monaco bomb attack on a millionaire speaks from prison to the BBC, alleging state approval and betrayals.

A Kyiv prison inmate, Vitalii Zhykovych, former SBU freelancer, has given a BBC interview detailing his involvement in a Monaco bomb plot aimed at Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolayev. He claims the operation was sanctioned by senior HUR officials and accuses commander Vladyslav Reut of orchestrating the murder of their Armenian–Ukrainian agent, Anastasia Berezovska. The interview, the first public statement since his arrest, raises questions about whether the attack was a state‑backed assassination or a rogue intelligence act. Authorities and investigators remain on high alert as the case develops.

A Kyiv prison inmate, Vitalii Zhykovych, former SBU freelancer, has given a BBC interview detailing his involvement in a Monaco bomb plot aimed at Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolayev.

Zhykovych says the campaign was authorized by senior members of HUR, Ukraine’s main military intelligence agency, and claims that commander Vladyslav Reut instructed him to use agent Anastasia Berezovska in the assault.

Reut allegedly offered Berezovska a hefty fee and targeted the millionaire after he reportedly paid taxes to Russia from enterprises in occupied Crimea. Following the blast in Monaco, Berezovska was found dead in the woods near Kyiv, shots to the head, as both men were investigated for her murder.

During the BBC call, Zhykovych said Reut told him the operation was officially sanctioned, while later court statements suggested confusion over whether it was truly authorized. The case highlights the blurred lines between state‑backed operations and rogue intelligence tactics in the Ukraine conflict.