Jailed suspect says Monaco bombing of Vadym Yermolayev was proposed by HUR-linked officer

Centre · 1Vitalii Zhykovych, a former Ukrainian security services officer held in a Kyiv prison, has given the BBC his first account of the June bomb attack in Monaco that targeted the Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev. 1 Mixed · 2Zhykovych says he believed the attack was ordered by senior members of HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency, and that Vladyslav Reut, an active-duty HUR officer whom he calls "The Boss", proposed the operation and told him it had been approved by Reut's superiors. 1 2 Centre · 1Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son were badly hurt in the blast and his partner suffered catastrophic injuries; surveillance video shows Berezovska leaving the device in a bag on the family's doorstep as they returned from a meal. 1

Centre · 1Anastasia Berezovska, the woman filmed planting the bomb, had her image circulated by Interpol on 2 July; a week after the bombing her body was found in woods west of Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head. 1 Mixed · 2Zhykovych and Reut were arrested and accused of her murder. Reut first confessed and led investigators to the grave, but later told a court that Zhykovych fired the shots; Zhykovych denies this, and each blames the other. 1 2 Mixed · 2Zhykovych describes himself as a "freelancer" for the SBU and Berezovska as his "agent". He says Reut wanted to use her for the bombing, that he refused because she was not fully trained, and that Reut sent her on reconnaissance instead, then dealt with her directly and supplied the explosives. 1 2

Mixed · 2He says Reut told him the bombing was retaliation for Yermolayev "funding the annexation of Crimea", which he took to mean taxes paid to Russia from businesses in occupied Crimea. Yermolayev has repeatedly denied any remaining business interests linked to Russia. 1 2 Left · 1The Independent adds that Yermolayev, 58, renounced Ukrainian citizenship in 2017, is now solely Cypriot, and was sanctioned by Kyiv for alleged collaboration with Russia, which he denies; the SBU said he traded alcohol in occupied Crimea and paid millions in taxes to Russia. 2 Centre · 1At a recent custody hearing Zhykovych said Reut had told him the Monaco attack was not "authorised" and that "someone had ordered this target from the civilian side", before the judge interrupted. He also said Reut originally spoke of two targets; the BBC says other sources suggest the second was a pro-Russian blogger convicted in absentia of treason. 1

Centre · 1Berezovska's husband told the BBC that Zhykovych's claim she was a double-agent was "nonsense" and that he believes she was unwittingly dragged in. Zhykovych says she told him Reut had promised her $50,000. 1 Mixed · 2HUR did not comment on the latest claims but has said it is "committed to a full investigation"; the SBU has described Zhykovych only as a "former law enforcement officer". Zhykovych's lawyer told CNN in August that his client believed he was on a secret intelligence mission, which Ukrainian officials denied. 1 2 Centre · 1Whether the attack was state-ordered, a rogue operation or criminal score-settling remains unresolved; Yermolayev has dismissed theories including a link to Ukrainian scam call-centres, where his son Artur was convicted in Estonia of fraud. 1