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Dramatic footage shows the moment a bomber planted an explosive next to a luxury apartment complex in Monaco - before it detonated seconds later.
The bomb exploded on June 29, wounding property mogul Vadym Ermolaev, his mistress and their 13-year-old son.
The footage, recovered by Ukraine’s Security Service, shows the botched assassination attempt in full, with the bomber, believed to be 39-year-old Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, appearing to place a bag just outside the building’s entrance.
Moments later, she walks away, as Ermolaev and his family approach the entrance. The attacker turns to watch the family approach, before a huge blast is seen.
The bomb is planted outside the complexUkraine Security Service
The bomber, seen in a black hat, walks away as the family approachesUkraine Security Service
A bright flash is seen as the bomb goes offUkraine’s Security ServiceIn the aftermath, the bomber picks up the camera recording the footage and flees from the scene.
Ermolaev and his mistress Anna Nasobina, 46, suffered severe burns following the explosion, with Ms Nasobina having her legs amputated. Their son was also wounded.
According to Ukraine’s prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko, the footage was recorded by a surveillance camera installed by those behind the attack to confirm that the bombing had been carried out.
Ukrainian authorities said the would-be assassin had tried to delete the footage following the attack, but that investigators were able to recover the clip.
Mr Kravchenko said: “Urgent investigative and procedural actions are actively ongoing to obtain new evidence in the case of an attempted murder in the Principality of Monaco.
“Thanks to the professional work of the specialists of the Security Service of Ukraine, one of the key pieces of evidence, which the suspects tried to destroy, was successfully restored.”
Ms Berezovska was identified as the prime suspect for the bomb by Interpol - but she was found dead near Kyiv on July 6 just days after the blast.
Ukrainian authorities have since arrested two men suspected of killing her.
Vladyslav Reut, an officer with the GUR, Ukraine’s military spy agency, and Vitalii Zhykovych, an ex-agent of SBU, Ukraine’s security service, have been arrested and charged with her murder.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Ermolaev has said there was “no doubt” that “serving officers of the main intelligence directorate of the military of defence of Ukraine” had organised the bombing.
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In a statement released through his lawyers, he added that the blast was “powerful enough to tear apart steel railings and destroy the stone steps outside our home”.
He described his partner’s injuries as “catastrophic and irreversible”, and that his young son suffered “burns, fractures and severe trauma”.
He said: “I remain in intensive care and am only now beginning the long process of recovery. This was not a warning. It was an attempt to kill not only me, but my family as well.”
Mr Ermolaev did not provide evidence establishing that the agency’s leadership had ordered or approved the attack, and Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has denied the allegation.