Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, regarded as one of the country’s wealthiest figures, was seriously injured in a deliberate explosion at a residential building in Monaco that also wounded his wife and teenage son, according to French and Ukrainian media reports.
The blast happened on Monday night, June 29, at the entrance to the residence near the French border, with Monaco authorities saying three people from the same family were hurt.
Emergency crews took the victims to hospitals in France. Officials said the two adults suffered life-threatening injuries, while the teenager was less seriously hurt.
Investigators believe the device was left at the building entrance in a backpack or parcel and likely contained bolts, shrapnel and other metal fragments.
The suspect was seen on surveillance footage and fled on foot into France, where police are now helping with the search.
Alongside the family, several other people at the scene were treated for shock and minor injuries caused by flying glass.
Footage shared online appears to capture a suspect fleeing the area shortly before or after the explosion.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Marine Cotta, a neighbour who witnessed the explosion said: “I could hear the police, alarms, and fire trucks, and that’s when I thought, ‘Okay, something is going on’.”
She said the sound resembled ‘fireworks’ going off just metres away, after which more than 100 police officers and emergency responders arrived.
Monaco’s Minister of State, Christophe Mirmand, described the blast as a “deliberate explosion” and said the country had never seen anything like it before.
He said: “The explosive device likely contained bolts and shrapnel.
“The three victims were in the building’s entrance when the device exploded. It is presumed that they belonged to the same family.
“Police services are currently gathering evidence. To my knowledge, this is the first time in history that such an act has occurred in the Principality.”
According to French newspaper Le Figaro, surveillance footage from before the blast reportedly shows a man placing a backpack in the building lobby shortly before it exploded.
Prince Albert II of Monaco described the event as an ‘odious act’ and said it had caused a shock across the principality.
Yermolaiev is among a number of wealthy Ukrainians who have lived on the French Riviera since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The 58-year-old built his fortune through property development in Dnipro, in central Ukraine, and is a father of four.