KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Security Service on Tuesday said it found the body of Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, who had been wanted by authorities in Monaco in connection with the bombing targeting Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev.
The security service, also known by its local abbreviation SBU, said an officer serving in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer. He claimed he acted on his own initiative and without informing his superiors, the statement said.
The attack on June 29 reportedly targeted Yermolaiev, who has links to Russia, and his family. Three people were injured, including a child. The incident shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix. Its head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.
Interpol had identified 39-year-old Berezovska as the main suspect. The police organization named her in a Red Notice seeking her arrest on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent and criminal conspiracy.
Interpol on Tuesday said it had no immediate comment and that the Red Notice on its website would remain until Monaco asked for its removal.
The SBU said investigators had focused on the two men after discovering they had repeatedly transferred cryptocurrency and money through bank accounts to Berezovska. During searches, authorities also found what the SBU described as a basement resembling a torture chamber at the former law enforcement officer’s home.
Investigators found Berezovska’s body during a reconstruction of the crime based on one suspect’s testimony. She had gunshot wounds to the head, and investigators recovered spent pistol casings at the scene, the SBU said.
Both men have been detained on suspicion of premeditated murder.
The SBU said it had shared all available information with Monaco’s investigators and was continuing to identify those who ordered and organized the attempted killing in Monaco.
This screenshot of the Interpol webpage shows a Red Notice for Anastasiia Berezovska, a suspect in the Monaco bombing that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with links to Russia. (Interpol via AP)
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Explosions rocked Syria's capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France’s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from years of civil war, Syria's Interior Ministry said.
It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad by insurgent groups in late 2024. Syria’s new rulers have wrestled with outbreaks of violence as they assert control, but the capital had been been largely peaceful.
French President Emmanuel Macron was in the presidential palace when the explosions happened. An official from the Elysee Palace said he was safe and the meeting with al-Sharaa continued, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Macron’s security.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron said on X hours later. “This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination.”
Macron, who played a major role in pushing Europe and the United States to drop most sanctions that were imposed on Syria under Assad, planned to hold a joint news conference with his Syrian counterpart before heading to Ankara, Turkey, later Tuesday for a NATO summit.
A large plume of smoke was seen at the site of the blast near the Four Seasons Hotel, where Syrian media reported Macron was staying. Footage on social media showed a van and a motorcycle on fire and bloodstains on a busy street near the headquarters of the Tourism Ministry and the Damascus National Museum.
The Interior Ministry in a statement reported by Syrian state media said one bomb had been placed in a garbage bin and the other in a parked car. It said four of the wounded were police officers, and no deaths were immediately reported.
On Thursday, an explosive device detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.
Syria's government sees Macron's visit and the signing of over a dozen agreements with Paris and large French companies as a major boost for the country's new authorities in their bid to rebuild the country battered by a 14-year uprising-turned-civil war under Assad.
One agreement was to kick off the process of returning some 51 million euros ($58.3 million) in illicit assets that belonged to Rifaat Assad, the late uncle of Assad. Other agreements included rebuilding the destroyed water and electricity infrastructure in the city of Homs, providing technical assistance to Syria's Central Bank as it undergoes financial reforms and bolstering cargo infrastructure at the Damascus airport.
“The outcome of this visit confirms that Syria is steadily moving toward a new phase of international partnerships based on shared interests and mutual respect," a Syrian foreign ministry official told The Associated Press, who said the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice. "Attempts to destabilize the country will not alter this trajectory.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The explosions represent a challenge for al-Sharaa, who has pushed to assert full control over Syria, appeal to minorities skeptical of his Islamist-led rule and win the support of Western governments who were concerned about his past leadership of the formerly al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. His government has promised political and economic reform after decades of autocratic rule.
The conflict in Syria killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Infrastructure lies in ruins. While other nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty.
Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron met with members of Syrian civil society, though his office did not give details.
Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, center, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attend an event at the Economic Forum for Reconstruction in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
A Syrian security official stands in the background behind, from left, French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa during an event at the Economic Forum for Reconstruction in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicles near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier while Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was meeting French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace, in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Onlookers and journalists watch from a bridge toward the area near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the site earlier while Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was meeting French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian security forces block the area near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the site earlier while Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was meeting French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, center, shakes hands with Gen. Vincent Giraud, Macron's Chief of Staff, as French President Emmanuel Macron, right, as they meet in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
