Kyiv court remands another suspect in killing of Interpol-listed Anastasiia Berezovska; serving intelligence officer previously detained

A Kyiv court has ordered pre-trial detention without the option of bail for a second suspect in the investigation into the killing of Anastasiia Berezovska, Radio Svoboda correspondents report. The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv ruled that Vitalii Zhykovych should be held in custody; his lawyer, Anatolii Ivanov, had requested round-the-clock house arrest instead. Zhykovych did not address the court during the hearing, and his lawyer previously stated that his client denies guilt.

Earlier the same day, prosecutors secured custody without bail for another suspect in the case, identified as a serving employee of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), Vladyslav Reut. According to prosecutors, Reut's statement to investigators contains an account of events and includes the name of an alleged accomplice, Vitalii Zhykovych. Prosecutors say Reut’s testimony corroborates his involvement in the crime.

The Office of the Prosecutor General announced on July 7 that two men detained in connection with Berezovska’s death were suspected of her murder. Berezovska, who had been the subject of an Interpol notice related to an explosion in Monaco, returned to Ukraine on July 1; several days later her body, with gunshot wounds, was found buried near Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities say the two detained men are a former law-enforcement officer and a current intelligence officer.

Investigators have also linked the suspects to an attempted assassination in Monaco. Prosecutors say they have evidence that both men repeatedly transferred funds to Berezovska’s cryptocurrency and bank accounts, which formed part of their rationale for considering them connected to the Monaco attack. Interpol issued a notice for Berezovska on July 3 in connection with an alleged attempt to murder Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco.

According to court and investigative materials cited in media reports, the Monaco attack occurred on the evening of June 29 on Rue Reveran-Per-Louis-Frolla. Prosecutors say an explosive device was concealed in a backpack near the entrance to the Sun’s Palace residential building, and that the device was detonated remotely by someone positioned approximately 12 metres away. Yermolaiev, his companion and their son were wounded in the blast. Prosecutors in Monaco and France have opened criminal proceedings on counts including attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place, and criminal conspiracy.

International reporting and witness accounts have also contributed to the picture investigators are building. The Daily Mail reported, citing sources close to the inquiry, that a witness identified Berezovska on surveillance footage showing a person in a black panama hat crossing the border at the French town of Beausoleil without passing through passport control. Authorities believe she later traveled to Italy, possibly accompanied by others.

Local investigative reporting by Schemes (Radio Svoboda) has identified Berezovska as a 39-year-old native of Zhytomyr. Her exact occupation remains unclear; archived ads she posted on the OLX marketplace in 2021 suggest she may have bred dogs. Court records from Zhytomyr indicate that in 2021 she was convicted of petty hooliganism for insulting and pushing another woman while intoxicated.

Sources indicate that after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Berezovska relocated to Germany. Phone tags in contacts recorded by others include "Германия Настя" and "Анастасія Франкфурт", and she was active in local Telegram groups such as "RedFish.Франкфурт на Майне" and "Экскурсии по Франкфурту и не только". German media Der Spiegel reported that special police units searched the apartment she used in Frankfurt and seized her car.

As the Ukrainian probe continues, authorities have detained two men and secured court decisions to keep them in custody without bail while investigators pursue forensic and testimonial leads. The combination of an alleged cross-border attempted assassination, an Interpol notice, and a homicide on Ukrainian soil has raised complex questions for investigators about motive, possible accomplices and the roles of individuals linked to state institutions. Prosecutors in Ukraine and their counterparts in Monaco and France continue to coordinate aspects of the probe as it develops.