A large-scale manhunt is underway in southern France following a parcel bomb attack at a residential building in Monaco, which left wealthy Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev and two other people injured. Monaco public prosecutor Stéphane Thibault confirmed that two of the victims remain in critical condition at a hospital in Nice, with a woman reportedly sustaining the most severe injuries.
Authorities are actively searching for one suspect, and the Monday evening incident is currently being treated as attempted murder rather than an act of terrorism. Ukraine’s foreign ministry has announced that its embassy in France is maintaining contact with Monaco officials to assist in identifying the victims. The explosion occurred shortly before 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) at an apartment block located on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla, near the French border.
Government officials in Monaco reported that the device was a parcel bomb. Christophe Mirmand, the head of the Monaco government, informed AFP that the explosive appeared to contain pellets and bolts. In addition to the three primary victims, four other individuals were treated by emergency services for shock or minor injuries caused by glass from nearby shop windows shattered by the blast. According to French media outlet Le Figaro, citing anonymous sources, the three seriously injured victims include Yermolaiev, his partner, and their 13-year-old son.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured a man dropping a backpack in the building’s lobby shortly before the detonation. By Tuesday morning, officials noted the suspect appeared to have fled into France. Over 100 emergency personnel and police were mobilized following the blast. Local resident Harri Richie described hearing an extremely loud explosion while in an underground car park nearby, later observing responders carrying two severely injured people from the site. This event marks an unprecedented occurrence for the principality, leading Prince Albert II to condemn the incident as a heinous crime that has shocked the local community.
Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, is a prominent real estate developer originally from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Having renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019, he now holds Cypriot nationality. Yermolaiev has held significant interests in the alcohol and wine sectors within Russian-annexed Crimea and has been subject to Ukrainian government sanctions since 2023. In 2020, Forbes magazine identified him as the 39th richest Ukrainian, estimating his wealth at approximately $230 million.
