Snake-tattooed suspect who ‘blew up oligarch & mistress’ in Monaco bombing is unmasked as ‘dangerous pro-Putin’ woman
THE snake-tattooed suspect who allegedly blew up an oligarch and his “mistress” is a dangerous pro-Russia collaborator, Ukrainian sources say.
Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, allegedly planted an explosive-laden backpack at a luxury apartment where Vadim Ermolaev, 58, was staying on Monday.
She allegedly targeted Ermolaev, his alleged mistress, Anna Nasobina, 46, and her young 13-year-old son while disguised as a man, prosecutors say.
Authorities believe the prime suspect was working with accomplices.
A Red Notice by Interpol – the international police organisation – has been issued for Berezovska, along with an arrest warrant and a picture of her.
The notice says she has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow, dark hair, and can speak German.
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It also says she has Ukrainian nationality and was born there.
Despite the information provided by Interpol, Ukrainian sources instead suggest she was born in Kazakhstan, holds a Russian passport, and lived in occupied Crimea.
But they claimed she also had Ukrainian documents in order to live easily in the European Union, reports say.
The sources also allege the prime suspect is a pro-Vladimir Putin collaborator with ties to the Kremlin.
Berezovska is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, placing an explosive device on a public road with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.
The Monaco prosecutor has claimed the person who planted the bomb used a remote control to detonate the explosive.
They also said the main suspect disguised herself as a man, and that a car with a German number plate was likely used by her.
She reportedly lives in Frankfurt and is known for her ties to organised crime, according to a well-placed source.
Police believe the suspect may have been working with accomplices.
They warned: “She is armed and dangerous, and thought to be in the company of accomplices.
“She should be approached with extreme caution.”
Investigators worry the woman could have already made her way as far as the Balkans, after escaping into France and then Italy.
Who is Vadim Ermolaev?
UKRAINIAN oligarch Vadim Ermolaev has been left in critical condition after a huge explosion rocked Monaco.
The multi-millionaire made his fortune as a property developer in Dnipro, central Ukraine.
Ermolaev left the country with his wife and two children, becoming a citizen of Cyprus in 2019.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) put him on a list of 84 nationals whom they suspected had fled the country.
He set up Alef Group after the fall of the Soviet Union, which was involved in wine and spirit production in Crimea.
His company built the tallest building in Ukraine, the Brama complex in Dnipro.
In December 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the multi-millionaire, freezing some of his assets.
Like many oligarchs who became rich following the fall of the Soviet Union, he has faced accusations of criminality, including money laundering, which he denies.
Ermolaev has four children – two boys and two girls – with his wife, Anna Ermolaev, who is a dentist and charity worker.
In recent years, the family has been living in luxury in Monte Carlo, where they have a very high profile.
Ermolaev was known for parking his Ukrainian-registered Bentley outside the Monte Carlo Casino Square.
He also owned a super yacht flying the Ukrainian flag and owned a high-security villa in nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Around a hundred Ukrainian oligarchs have fled the war with Russia for life on the French Riviera, including in Monaco.
The huge explosion rocked the microstate around 9pm on Monday, leaving oligarch Ermolaev fighting for his life.
His alleged mistress Anna was in serious condition and had to have her legs amputated.
One horrified witness had reported seeing her “with her feet missing” moments after the explosion.
Anna’s 13-year-old son was also injured in the blast, but much less severely, and is reportedly telling investigators “exactly what he saw”.
The main suspect was also filmed fleeing Ermolaev’s lavish apartment on Monday.
A picture of the suspect wearing a black bucket hat fleeing the scene was published on Monday as police launched a huge manhunt.
Cops fear she has crossed two borders already after she was spotted speeding towards the town of Beausoleil on foot.
A senior investigating source suggested the woman had tried to disguise herself as a man but that a witness had identified her.
Monaco’s Prosecutor General Stéphane Thibault previously said: “An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect.”
The suspect was first picked up on CCTV the morning before the attack on the ritzy street that was later rocked by a huge blast.
She later returned to plant the bomb, security sources said.
Investigators think she was around 40ft away when the bomb was detonated.
Two men were arrested and held in police custody on Wednesday and Thursday.
But they were released soon after as no evidence of their participation in the attack was found.
Authorities in both France and Monaco have opened investigations for “attempted murder”, “criminal conspiracy” and “the planting of an explosive device on a public road with criminal intent”.
Police suspect the attack could have been the work of gang operatives targeting Ermolaev over unpaid debts linked to his oldest son’s fraudulent call centres.
Oligarch Ermolaev, was previously one of the richest men in Ukraine, but surrendered his citizenship in 2017.
His oldest son Artur was arrested in Cyprus last year before being extradited to Estonia.
There, he was convicted of running scam call centres out of Dnipro, Ukraine, that scammed EU nationals of around €100 million (£86million).
The clandestine call centres also allegedly sold fake divorce advice to victims.
French investigators now reportedly think the bomb blast that rocked a quiet Monaco street last night could have been an act of revenge by a rival criminal network.
But they have not ruled out the possibility that the attack may have been orchestrated by his own country’s security service