A former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a June bomb attack in Monaco told the BBC from a Kyiv prison that he believed senior members of Ukraine's military intelligence agency had authorized the operation targeting businessman Vadym Yermolayev.
Vitalii Zhykovych said Anastasia Berezovska, who was recorded planting the bomb, was his agent. The blast badly injured Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son, while his partner suffered catastrophic injuries, according to the BBC. Yermolayev later said their survival was “nothing short of a miracle.” Zhykovych described himself as a freelancer for Ukraine's SBU security service. The New York Post, citing the BBC, reported that Zhykovych is charged in connection with the July killing of the would-be attacker.