Lead
Ukrainian businessman Vadim Yermolaev, who was hospitalized in Marseille following an assassination attempt involving an explosion in Monaco, has emerged from a coma, and his condition has improved, the Nice Matin newspaper reported, as relayed by TASS. The blast on June 29 wounded three people, including Yermolaev's companion, Anna Nasobina, and a 13-year-old child. Monaco investigators have identified a prime suspect and issued an arrest warrant, according to AFP, citing the principality's prosecutors.
Coverage comparison
TASS, the Russian state news agency, has provided detailed reporting on the incident, drawing on French media outlets such as Le Figaro, Nice-Matin, BFMTV, and Monaco-Matin, as well as the Monaco prosecutor's office and AFP. The coverage consistently identifies Vadim Yermolaev as a Cypriot citizen and one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen, who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 and was sanctioned by Kyiv in 2023.
Reporting on the suspect has evolved. Initial accounts, citing Le Figaro, suggested a woman in her early 30s was seen on surveillance footage placing a bomb in the entrance of an apartment building on Rue Reverin Pere Louis Frolla. Later, AFP, citing prosecutors, reported that an arrest warrant had been issued and an Interpol red notice was to follow. TASS articles name the suspect as 39-year-old Anastasia Berezovskaya, a Ukrainian citizen residing in Germany, who allegedly crossed into France on foot after the explosion and then traveled to Italy and Germany.
Key claims
According to TASS, citing Nice-Matin, Yermolaev's companion, Anna Nasobina, the 46-year-old daughter of the former first deputy prosecutor of the Dnepropetrovsk Region, remains in serious condition after undergoing surgery to amputate her legs and receiving regular blood transfusions. Doctors say she may lose several vital senses, such as sight and hearing, as well as the ability to speak.
The 13-year-old child who suffered burns was taken to a children's hospital in Nice, and his injuries are not currently life-threatening, according to the newspaper.
TASS reports, citing BFMTV, that the explosive device was detonated as Nasobina passed by, with the suspect using a remote-control-like object. The attacker allegedly waited for the victim outside the residential building for almost an hour before detonating the bomb, according to Nice-Matin.
Regarding the suspect, Berezovskaya is said to have crossed into France on foot after the detonation, then rented a car and traveled to Italy and Germany, where she had sought asylum in 2022 and was living in an asylum seekers' center in Hofheim.
TASS reports that under Monaco's criminal code, a person convicted of premeditated murder can be sentenced to life in prison, with planting an explosive at a public venue considered equivalent to a premeditated murder attempt.
Perspectives
Monaco Prosecutor's Office: The office launched an investigation into the incident as an "attempted murder," initially characterizing it as a terrorist attack but later rejecting that description. Prosecutors confirmed the issuance of an arrest warrant and the planned issuance of an Interpol red notice.
Le Figaro (citing sources): The French newspaper reported that investigators believe the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is behind the crime, though it noted the attack appeared to be "more of a warning than a deliberate assassination attempt."
Comments.ua: The Ukrainian publication suggested the SBU could have staged the attempt on Yermolaev to take control of call centers associated with him in Dnepropetrovsk and broader shadow business processes, as well as to prevent his possible interference in politics.