SBU searches military intelligence employee over Monaco explosion case
Ukraine's Security Service conducted an urgent search of a Main Intelligence Directorate employee in Kyiv on November 6. The SBU said the search was part of a criminal investigation into the Monaco attack that injured Vadym Yermolayev and his family, while the agency and police acted under the Office of the Prosecutor General's supervision.
Key points
- The SBU searched a Main Intelligence Directorate employee in Kyiv on November 6.
- The search concerned the Monaco case involving Vadym Yermolayev and his family.
- The SBU and National Police acted under the Office of the Prosecutor General's supervision.
- The SBU said the investigation was ongoing and declined to provide further details.
- GUR confirmed the search but said authorized intelligence representatives were not present.
- Lawyer Masi Naiem said the search occurred without a court order and without GUR internal security representatives.
- A powerful explosion in a Monaco residence injured Yermolayev, Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son on June 29.
Why it matters
The search expands Ukraine's investigation into the Monaco attack into the military intelligence service. It has also raised questions about the legal safeguards required for searching an active intelligence employee and whether GUR's internal security representatives should have been present. The SBU said the investigation remains ongoing.
What happened
On November 6, the SBU conducted an urgent search of a Main Intelligence Directorate employee in Kyiv. The agency said the measure was part of a criminal investigation connected with events in Monaco during the summer. The SBU and National Police carried out the investigative actions under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General. GUR confirmed that one of its employees was searched but said the required presence of authorized intelligence representatives was not observed. The SBU declined to disclose further details while the investigation continues.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on a procedural dispute over the search. Lawyer Masi Naiem said SBU officers broke down the door, knocked the employee down, put handcuffs on him and proceeded without a court order or representatives of GUR internal security. Official responses emphasize that the SBU and National Police acted under the Office of the Prosecutor General's supervision, while GUR itself acknowledged that its authorized representatives were not present.
Where reporting differs
Yermolayev and his supporters attributed the Monaco attack to Ukrainian intelligence, while GUR representative Andriy Yusov rejected that accusation as a political statement that harmed the investigation. Naiem said the search was conducted without a court order, whereas the SBU and National Police confirmed that the investigative actions in Kyiv were carried out under the Office of the Prosecutor General's supervision.
Background
A powerful explosion struck a residential building in Monaco on June 29, injuring Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolayev, his companion Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son. Anastasiia Berezovska was suspected of installing the explosive device and was placed on Interpol's international wanted list on July 3. Her body was later found near Kyiv. GUR employee Vladyslav Reut and former SBU employee Vitalii Zhykovych were detained in her killing case and placed under arrest without bail. Reut and Zhykovych were also reportedly considered by investigators as possible organizers of the Monaco attack because of repeated transfers to Berezovska's cryptocurrency and bank accounts.