Confessed Killer in Ukraine Spy Case Accuses Co-Defendant of Murder

The murder case involving Anastasia Berezovska, who was implicated in a car bomb attack that killed Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Germolaev, has taken a significant turn. Vladyslav Reut, an officer with Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), initially confessed to killing Berezovska and led investigators to her burial site. However, during a recent court appearance, he retracted his confession, claiming he wanted to reveal the truth and accused his co-defendant, Vitalii Zhykovych, a former officer with Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), of being the actual murderer.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Berezovska had entered Ukraine just two days after the explosion in Monaco, traveling from Poland by bus before she was publicly identified as a suspect. Investigators traced financial transactions from Berezovska’s accounts to both Reut and Zhykovych, establishing their connection to her.

In his revised testimony, Reut described how he and Zhykovych picked up Berezovska on a highway to Kyiv after she expressed a need to go into hiding. He stated that Zhykovych produced a modified Makarov pistol during their journey, claiming it was merely a precaution. Reut recounted that they stopped in the village of Yuriv, where Zhykovych allegedly ordered him to shoot Berezovska, stating, "It’s either her or us." Reut claims Zhykovych then fired the fatal shots and they buried her body, disposing of the weapon and her belongings in a nearby lake.

When questioned about his initial confession, Reut claimed he had been threatened by Zhykovych, who warned him that his family would be in danger if he did not comply.

Zhykovych’s defense attorney dismissed Reut’s accusations as implausible, arguing that it was unlikely for a private citizen to command an active intelligence officer to commit murder. The defense portrayed Zhykovych as a patriot who had served in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and defended Kyiv during the recent invasion. They suggested a potential Russian connection to the case, noting past instances of Ukrainian intelligence officers being recruited by Moscow, although no evidence was provided to support this claim.

Prosecutors maintain that both men acted in concert and have charged them with first-degree murder. The court has denied bail for both defendants, ordering them to remain in custody as the investigation proceeds.