‘She was set up’, say family of Monaco bomb suspect as they fear she was ‘forced under fear of death’ to plant explosive

THE Monaco bombing suspect’s family have claimed she was likely “forced under the fear of death” to carry out the assassination plot. Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was accused of blowing up an oligarch and fleeing to Ukraine before she was found dead just days after the attack. Suspected Monaco bomber Anastasiia Berezovska was ‘set up’, her family claim Credit: Interpol Blood was pictured on the steps of the building, which The Sun has decided to pixelate for the privacy of any victims Credit: X Vadim Ermolaev, 58, his lover Anna Nasobina, 46, and their son Ariel, 13, were all left severely injured in the explosion which was caught on camera. Berezovska was quickly accused of working with accomplices, but her family have now spoken out, claiming she would never have knowingly planted a bomb to kill. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Her aunt Kateryna Krasnoperova said: “I think she was set up. Someone must have lured her. “Maybe they promised her something, maybe they would pay some kind of fee. “Maybe if they had told her right away that you had such a job, she wouldn’t have taken it, she definitely wouldn’t have gone.” Berezovska lived as a refugee in Germany caring for her young son. Krasnoperova said: “She loved her son very much, and she would have understood what the consequences could be. “Our whole family, we think to ourselves, she couldn’t have done this, or she was set up specifically for the video camera. Most read in The Sun Kateryna Krasnoperova, aunt of suspected Monaco ‘bomber’ Anastasiia Berezovska Credit: East2West Vadym Ermolaev, 58, was injured in a blast Anna Nasobina, 46, had her legs blown off in the attack “Maybe she was forced under the fear of death? Fear for her loved ones. I don’t know.” Ermolaev has since broken his silence on the assassination attempt. The tycoon said there was “no doubt” that “serving officers of the main intelligence directorate of the military of defence of Ukraine” had coordinated the bombing. Nasobina lost both her legs – an injury the oligarch described as “catastrophic and irreversible” – while he said his young son suffered “burns, fractures and severe trauma”. A spokesman for the GUR accused Ermolaev of “political statements and speculation”. Berezovska reportedly fled after planting the bomb at the elite Sun Palace residential building – and made her way back to Ukraine. Several days later she was found shot dead in a forest close to Kyiv. A GUR operative Vladislav Reut, 33, has been detained over her killing along with Vitaly Zhikovich, 49, an ex-SBU security service operative. GUR military intelligence officer Vladislav Reut has denied murdering Anastasiia Berezovska Credit: East2West Vitaly Zhikovich, a security service (SBU) agent, has also been arrested Credit: East2West Reut initially admitted to killing Berezovska – but later retracted his alleged confession before pointing the finger at Zhikovich, who has also denied the accusation. In another bombshell twist, Zhikovich’s lawyer said the pair have been “framed” and were acting on orders from the state. Anatoliy Ivanov claimed the pair had loyally defended Ukraine during their careers in state service. He said: “What desire will there be to defend this country if, for carrying out orders, for doing what you do while risking your life, you end up behind bars?” Both Reut and Zhikovich have been charged with “intentional murder committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy”. The pair were remanded in custody and denied bail. Comment now