Monaco Bomb Suspect Photo With Zelensky Is Fabricated
By Megan Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
A viral image purporting to show the Monaco bomb suspect alongside the Ukrainian president has been debunked as false by fact-checkers.
A disinformation campaign targeting Ukraine's president has taken hold in the aftermath of the bomb attack on Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco, with anti-Zelensky bloggers circulating a photograph they claim shows suspect Anastasiia Beresovka standing alongside Volodymyr Zelensky at a 2022 medal ceremony for Ukrainian intelligence agents in the Donbass. The claim is false.
Fact-checkers at Nice Matin have examined the image and confirmed it does not show Beresovka. The photograph, which was shared widely across social media platforms in the days following the Monaco attack, has been used to advance the narrative that Zelensky personally ordered the bombing, a theory that investigators have given no credence.
The attack on Ermolaev, a Ukrainian-born businessman resident in the Principality, drew significant attention to Monaco's role as a hub for wealthy individuals from the former Soviet states. The Monegasque authorities and the Direction de la Sûreté Publique are continuing their investigation. No formal conclusions have been drawn publicly about the chain of command behind the attack.