Ukrainian court remands in custody two men accused of killing Monaco bomb attack suspect

July 10 (Reuters) – A Ukrainian court has remanded in custody two men accused of killing a woman suspected of carrying out a bomb attack in Monaco that seriously wounded a Ukrainian businessman, Ukraine’s top prosecutor said.

The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen wanted by Interpol for the June 29 bomb attack, was found with gunshot wounds to the head and pistol cartridges nearby, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.

The authorities said a serving officer in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) and a former law enforcement officer had been detained on suspicion of killing Berezovska.

In a statement on Thursday, the Prosecutor General’s Office said the court in Kyiv had ordered the two suspects to be held in detention without bail.

Ukrainian media, citing court proceedings, said the HUR employee had retracted his confession, saying the other defendant had fired the shots and that he had confessed out of fear for his life.

Ukrainian-born property developer Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner and son were wounded in Monday’s bomb attack, sources said.

Yermolaiev, who took Cypriot nationality seven years ago, was placed under sanctions by Ukraine in 2023, following Russia’s invasion the previous year.

Berezovska was wanted by authorities in Monaco on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.

Monaco prosecutor Stephane Thibault told reporters he held a video call with Ukrainian prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko earlier on Friday to exchange information.

Thibault said investigators were looking at “all options,” and that there was no information yet on the motive for the bomb or where it came from.

Kravchenko said an international investigative team should be set up quickly.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk, Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv and Dominique Vidalon in Paris , Editing by Timothy Heritage and Deepa Babington)