The dramatic development adds another dark twist to an investigation already spanning Monaco, France, Germany and Ukraine.
Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, had been named by Interpol as the chief suspect in the attack, which injured Ukrainian born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, his partner and his son in Monaco on Monday 29 June.
According to Reuters, citing Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda, Berezovska’s body was found near the Ukrainian capital late on Monday 6 July. The outlet reported, citing law enforcement sources, that she had been shot and that two people had been detained in connection with her death.
Reuters reported that one of those detained is alleged by Ukrainska Pravda to be an officer with Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, known as HUR, while the other is said to be a former law enforcement officer. Ukrainian police and HUR had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment at the time of reporting.
Berezovska had been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice after Monaco authorities accused her of attempted murder, criminal conspiracy and placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent.
Monaco’s deputy prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, said last week that the attacker had allegedly left a parcel outside a residential building before detonating the device remotely as the victims arrived. Investigators said the suspect then fled on foot into nearby France before travelling by car through several European countries.
Authorities previously said the suspect had initially appeared on CCTV to be a man, but further footage and witness evidence led investigators to believe the attacker was a woman disguised in male clothing.
German police had also searched a rented apartment and vehicle linked to a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman near Frankfurt as part of the investigation. Evidence recovered in Germany was expected to be passed to Monegasque authorities.
The bombing shocked Monaco, a principality more commonly associated with wealth, security and quiet diplomacy than violent international manhunts. Prince Albert II condemned the attack as an “odious act”, while prosecutors said the sophistication of the device suggested the suspect may not have acted alone.
The motive remains unclear.
Media reports have identified the injured businessman as Vadym Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian born tycoon who later became a Cypriot national and was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023. Monaco authorities have not officially named the victims, but have said the attack appeared to be targeted.
The reported death of Berezovska now raises serious new questions for investigators, including whether she was acting alone, who may have assisted her, and whether her killing was connected to the Monaco bombing.
For now, the case remains an active international investigation, with several crucial details still awaiting official confirmation.