Killing of Berezovska will put Kyiv before uncomfortable questions from the West — Financial Times

Financial Times warns that the circumstances surrounding the death of Anastasia Berezovska, suspected of an assassination attempt against Dnipro businessman Vadim Yermolaev in Monaco, will create serious reputational problems for Ukraine with its Western partners.

Berezovska was killed in Kyiv by a GUR officer. According to the publication, the suspects detained in connection with the case and the very circumstances of her death will inevitably raise questions among Ukraine’s European partners.

“The circumstances of Berezovska’s death and those detained in connection with it will likely raise uncomfortable questions for Kyiv — not least in connection with its attempts to convince EU partners that it is ridding itself of organized crime and corruption as part of the EU accession process. GUR fighters are known for carrying out covert missions behind enemy lines, and they are credited with — or suspected of — numerous killings of Russian and pro-Russian Ukrainian defectors during the war,” the Financial Times article states.

The publication separately draws attention to the figure of Yermolaev himself. In 2017, he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and has since been critical of Ukraine.

“I want to obtain international protection. The Ukrainian judicial system is, to put it mildly, not ideal, and the tax system is not objective,” he explained his decision to leave Ukraine.

The day before, The Guardian also wrote that the killing of Berezovska could cost Kyiv dearly.