Suspect linked to Monaco bomb attack on millionaire speaks to BBC from Ukrainian prison
A former Ukrainian security officer, currently imprisoned, has alleged that a June bomb attack in Monaco targeting a businessman was authorized by senior members of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR). The suspect claims the operation was official, contradicting earlier narratives surrounding the incident.
Why it matters
The allegations involve high-level intelligence agency involvement in international criminal acts, raising serious questions about state-sanctioned operations and accountability.
Image source, Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images Image caption, Vitalii Zhykovych appeared in open court during the summer and has spoken to the BBC from prison
A former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a bomb attack in Monaco in June that targeted a multi-millionaire says he believed it was authorised by senior members of HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC from prison in Kyiv, facilitated by his lawyer, Vitalii Zhykovych has given his own account of the attempted assassination for the first time.
Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son were badly hurt in the blast and his partner suffered catastrophic injuries. Yermolayev later described their survival as "nothing short of a miracle".
Zhykovych describes himself as a "freelancer" for Ukraine's SBU security service and says Anastasia Berezovska, the woman caught on camera planting the bomb in Monaco, was his "agent".
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