Key facts
- Two men, Vladyslav Reut and Vitalii Zhykovych, have been charged with premeditated murder.
- Reut confessed to killing Anastasiia Berezovska, who was suspected by Monaco of an attempted assassination.
- Berezovska was injured in an explosion in Monaco on June 29.
- Reut and Zhykovych allegedly transferred money to Berezovska via cryptocurrency and bank accounts.
- The court ordered both suspects into pretrial detention for two months without bail.
Two men, including a Ukrainian military intelligence officer, have been ordered to remain in pretrial detention without bail as they face charges in connection with the killing of Anastasiia Berezovska. Berezovska was suspected by Monaco authorities of carrying out an assassination attempt on businessman Vadym Iermolaiev on June 29.
Kyiv's Pechersk District Court ordered Vladyslav Reut and Vitalii Zhykovych, a former law enforcement officer, into custody for two months. Earlier this week, Ukrainian authorities discovered Berezovska's body. Reut confessed to her killing on July 7 but denied shooting her in court, claiming Zhykovych was responsible.
Reut alleged that Zhykovych asked him to pick up Berezovska, stating she was in danger. He claims that upon arriving at a wooded area near Bucha, Zhykovych ordered him to shoot her. Reut stated he refused, and Zhykovych then allegedly shot Berezovska. Zhykovych denies these allegations. Both men are charged with premeditated murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
Investigators noted that Berezovska arrived in Ukraine on July 1, shortly after Interpol placed her on its international wanted list for the Monaco incident. Law enforcement stated that Reut and Zhykovych had transferred money to Berezovska via cryptocurrency and bank accounts, and they were examined as possible suspects in the Monaco attack. Iermolaiev, his wife, and their son were injured in an explosion in Monaco on June 29. Iermolaiev is a prominent businessman with assets in agribusiness, real estate, construction materials, and medical equipment.