A bomb blast in central Monaco on Monday night seriously injured a Ukrainian-born oligarch, his partner, and his 13-year-old son, triggering a cross-border manhunt by police in Monaco and France. The explosion occurred at 9 p.m. local time at the entrance of a residential building.
Among those injured were three Ukrainian nationals, all members of the same family, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday. French media reported the three to be Vadym Yermolaiev, one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen, along with his partner and son. The woman is said to be in a life-threatening condition. Yermolaiev and his son are believed to be less seriously injured.
Monaco's public prosecutor, Stephane Thibault, said a man was seen leaving a package at the entrance of the building before the blast. According to Al Jazeera, video surveillance images described by France's Le Figaro showed a man wearing a black jacket, light-colored trousers, white shoes, and a black hat that partly concealed his face dropping a backpack shortly before the explosion. Thibault told reporters the suspect acted alone and fled on foot and remained at large.
The explosive device contained bolts and buckshot, according to Christophe Mirmand, Monaco's minister of state, who spoke to French broadcaster LCI.
Yermolaiev relocated to Monaco in 2021 and was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for business dealings in Crimea following Russia's annexation of the peninsula. Le Figaro reported that investigators are looking at the theory that Ukraine's Security Service directed the attack. The newspaper described it as likely more of a warning than a deliberate attempt to kill.
Monaco's Prince Albert II called the incident a "heinous crime" and said it was "a shock to the entire Monegasque community." An aide to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled."
The principality, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on one side and France on the other, has no border checks between the two countries. Thibault noted it was "the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principali" — his statement was cut off in reports, but officials made clear the attack was unprecedented for Monaco.
A heavy police presence and helicopter were reported at the scene on Tuesday as the investigation continued.
