Berezovskaya’s relatives explained why she returned to Ukraine before the murder
This was reported by Suspilne.
Anastasia Berezovska’s aunt, Kateryna Krasnopiorova, said that her niece had returned to Ukraine because she wanted to see her seven-year-old son.
According to her, the boy had been living with his mother in Germany and attending nursery there. Before he started school, he was brought to his grandmother’s in the Zhytomyr region so that he could spend time with his family and visit the dentist.
A relative says that upon her arrival, Berezovska remarked that she had missed her son and Ukraine.
What is known about Berezovska’s life abroad
According to her aunt, Anastasia Berezovska left the country at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Her husband remained in Ukraine.
In Germany, she attended German language courses, received social security benefits and was unemployed.
Berezovska’s mother, according to relatives, was unaware of the allegations against her daughter and found out about everything via social media.
What her family say about the investigation’s version of events
Kateryna Krasnopyorova said that Berezovska is originally from Horodyshche in the Novohuyvynska community in the Zhytomyr region.
She stated that she does not believe her niece was deliberately involved in the assassination attempt. According to her aunt, Berezovska loved her son dearly and could not have done anything that might harm him.
The relative suggests that the woman may have been set up, intimidated or promised something in return for carrying out certain actions. However, this is the family’s position, whilst the official investigation in Monaco has previously named Berezovska as a suspect.
At the time of the interview, Anastasia Berezovskaya’s body had not yet been returned to her family.
Attempted murder of Vadym Yermolayev in Monaco
A woman and a 13-year-old boy were also injured. It was initially reported that the woman was Yermolayev’s wife; however, the businessman’s official wife, Anna Yermolayeva, told Suspilne that she was not with him at the time of the explosion.
The French media outlets Nice-Matin and Le Figaro reported that Anna Nasobina — the daughter of Oleksandr Nasobin, a former deputy prosecutor for the Dnipropetrovsk region — may have been with Yermolayev. According to media reports, she suffered serious injuries, and their son was also wounded.
What was Berezovska suspected of?
On 2 July, Interpol issued an arrest warrant for 39-year-old Ukrainian woman Anastasia Berezovskaya.
The Monaco Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the suspect had allegedly planted an explosive device, detonated it remotely and fled to France, and then via Italy to Germany, where she was living.
A video circulated online shows an unidentified person leaving a rucksack in the entrance hall of the building where Yermolayev lived. An explosion followed shortly afterwards.
How Berezovskaya ended up in Ukraine
The State Border Guard Service reported that Berezovska had entered Ukraine legally on 1 July.
At that time, border guards had no information that she was wanted by Interpol. Details of the international arrest warrant only emerged after she had entered Ukraine.
Two men – an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate and a former law enforcement officer – were arrested on suspicion of murder. They are charged with premeditated murder committed by a group of individuals acting in concert.
Law enforcement officials stated that they were investigating the circumstances of the murder and the possible motives for the crime.
Who is Vadym Yermolayev?
Vadym Yermolayev is a Ukrainian businessman and one of the largest property developers in Dnipro. He has not been living in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
In 2023, the National Security and Defence Council imposed sanctions on him due to his alcohol business in occupied Crimea.
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