Ukrainian agent accused of murdering Monaco bomb suspect changes story
A Ukrainian intelligence agent who confessed to killing the woman suspected of trying to assassinate a multimillionaire and his family in Monaco last week, has
A Ukrainian intelligence agent who confessed to killing the woman suspected of trying to assassinate a multimillionaire and his family in Monaco last week, has now claimed he did not pull the trigger. In court in Kyiv for a custody hearing on Thursday, Vladyslav Reut – who a few days ago led investigators to Anastasiia Berezovska's grave in the woods – said that he "categorically denied" committing her murder and blamed his alleged accomplice instead.
This murky case is capturing attention because Reut is an active and decorated officer of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, GUR, and his co-defendant Vitalii Zhykovych worked for the SBU security service until recently. On Thursday evening President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would have "additional relevant reports" to share in the coming days. But the motive for the Monaco blast that targeted Vadim Yermolayev remains unclear.
The businessman, who made his money in cognac and real estate, had renounced his Ukrainian citizenship some years ago. He has since been sanctioned by Kyiv for continuing to do business in Crimea after it was taken by Russia. Now his would-be assassin has been murdered herself. The two suspects were brought into court for separate hearings with their hands cuffed, surrounded by heavily armed security officers in balaclavas.
Both kept their hoods up throughout proceedings and their faces covered by masks so large only their eyes were still visible. They sat hunched inside the glass courtroom cage for most of the hearings, backs to the line of TV cameras.
The BriefWire