BOLO: The Suspect is a Woman Disguised as a Man
The attempted murder of Vadym Yermolaiev, a Cypriot-Ukrainian oligarch living in Monaco, was a sophisticated attack involving a remotely detonated explosive device. The investigation has identified Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen, as the primary suspect. Berezovska is wanted for attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place, and criminal conspiracy.
Berezovska’s escape route highlights the Schengen Area’s unique characteristics. Berezovska fled Monaco into France, traveled through Italy, and reached Germany, where she was last known to be residing in Frankfurt. Because Monaco is de facto part of the Schengen zone (via France), and France, Italy, and Germany are full members, Berezovska can traverse these borders without internal passport checks. This "open border" policy allows her to move across 29 countries with minimal friction, a stark contrast to the rigorous checks at external borders, should she attempt to enter Ukraine.
German authorities have raided Berezovska’s Frankfurt apartment and are actively searching for her. An Interpol Red Notice has been issued, alerting law enforcement globally to arrest and detain her.
The Diplomatic Dilemma: Ukraine’s EU Bid
The core of the diplomatic intrigue lies in the jurisdictional limits of Ukraine and the EU. Ukraine does not extradite its own citizens. This is a constitutional provision that effectively prevents the transfer of Berezovska to Monaco for trial, even if she is captured.
If Berezovska successfully reaches Ukraine, she may be beyond Monaco’s immediate reach for extradition. While Ukraine can prosecute her domestically, this would likely result in a trial in Kyiv rather than Monaco, potentially leading to a lighter sentence, and accusations of political protection.
All this, as Ukraine is currently in the early stages of formal accession negotiations (opened June 2024, with clusters opening in 2026). A failure to apprehend Berezovska and cooperate fully with Monaco and Interpol could be framed by EU member states as a lack of judicial cooperation or a failure to combat organized crime within its borders.
The key to maintaining Ukraine’s diplomatic standing is prosecution within Ukraine. If Kyiv charges Berezovska under Ukrainian law for the attempted murder and conspiracy, it demonstrates that the state is holding its own citizens accountable, thereby satisfying the "Rule of Law" criteria for EU membership without needing to violate its extradition ban.
The High Profile Case Scenario: Arrest Priorities
Arrest within the Schengen Domain is Priority 1. Berezovska is currently in Germany. Arresting her here is the most straightforward path. It bypasses Ukraine’s extradition ban entirely. Germany can extradite her to Monaco under the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system, which is binding for all EU member states. This would allow her to be tried in Monaco for the brutal attack. The feasibility is high, provided German police locate her before Berezovska escapes.
Arrest at the Border with Ukraine is Priority 2. If Berezovska attempts to flee to Ukraine, she will be stopped at the external border (e.g., Poland, Slovakia, Romania). The Entry/Exit System (EES) and the Interpol Red Notice will flag her immediately. Border guards in these Schengen countries would detain her and likely process an extradition request to Monaco or transfer her to German authorities. The feasibility is high, as Berezovska cannot legally cross without triggering an alarm.
Arrest within Ukraine is Priority 3. If Berezovska manages to evade border checks, or is smuggled across, it positions her physically in Ukraine. Ukrainian police must arrest her based on the Red Notice, however, extradition to Monaco is impossible due to the constitutional ban. Ukraine, then, must initiate domestic proceedings. Failure to do so would be a severe diplomatic blow to Ukraine’s EU candidacy.
The "Day of the Jackal" Parallel
The situation mirrors the tension of The Day of the Jackal (1973), where the stakes are high, involving a high-profile target and a paid, professional assassin, making it a suspenseful, cat-and-mouse thriller. In the movie, the plot hinges on the sole clue of the assassin's identity, and the race to stop him.
In the pursuit of Berezovska, the plot is inverted, as the investigation and arrest of the suspect take place after the crime—not before—as in the movie. The reality resembles the movie in the meticulously planned "hit" that failed to kill the target, but the political fallout of the crime is now the primary threat—just the beginning—not the climax, as in the 1973 film.
Plot Summary
In this analogy the "Jackal" (Berezovska), is assuredly not a state agent, but a private contractor, a “hit man,” which complicates the narrative of state-sponsored involvement, and highlights the reach and boldness of criminal networks.
The incident casts a spotlight on the vulnerability of the Schengen area, as a whole, to organized crime and the diplomatic friction caused by national sovereignty laws (like Ukraine’s extradition ban).
To protect Ukraine’s EU aspirations, the immediate priority is the arrest of Berezovska within the Schengen zone (Germany or at the border). This allows for extradition to Monaco under the EAW system, bypassing Ukraine’s legal barriers. If Berezovska reaches Ukraine, the only viable path is immediate domestic prosecution that honors the severity of the Monaco crime.
Final Thoughts
The manhunt for the alleged perpetrator is more than a criminal pursuit; it is a stress test for European unity and the rule of law. While Anastasiia Berezovska may have exploited the open borders of the Schengen Area to stage the attack, the same system that allowed her escape now makes her capture inevitable—provided the suspect does not vanish into a legal rabbit hole that could jeopardize Ukraine's strategic future. The world watches to see if justice can be served before the door closes.