Monaco explosion injures 3 including Ukrainian tycoon as suspect flees to France

Monaco explosion injures 3 including Ukrainian tycoon as suspect flees to France

An explosive device detonated at the entrance of a residential building in Monaco late Monday, June 29, 2026, seriously injuring three people. The victims, who are regular residents of the principality, were crossing the threshold of their apartment building around 9 p.m. When the blast occurred, according to Minister of State Christophe Mirmand.

The injured have been identified by French and Ukrainian media as Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev and his family. A woman, described by FranceInfo as being in her 50s or 60s, is in life-threatening condition and is being treated at a hospital in Nice. Her partner, identified as Yermolaiev, and their 13-year-old child suffered less severe injuries and remained hospitalized Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Monaco police have launched an attempted murder investigation. Chief Prosecutor Stéphane Thibault told reporters that while the motive remains unclear, the attack is not being qualified as a terrorism investigation. Mirmand added that authorities can assume it was an assassination attempt.

Surveillance footage indicates the family was specifically targeted. Mirmand stated the perpetrator had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims. According to FranceInfo, Thibault said a person was seen dropping a bag or package in the building's lobby before fleeing.

The suspect acted alone and remains at large. Footage shows the attacker fleeing on foot via steps to a small street leading to Beausoleil, a neighboring French town. French media published a CCTV image of the suspect wearing a black bucket hat that partly concealed his face, a black jacket, light-colored pants, and white shoes.

The target of the blast, Vadym Yermolaiev, is a businessman from Dnipro who built his wealth through the Alef Group, a holding company involved in agriculture, manufacturing, and commercial real estate. While he has appeared in rankings of Ukraine's wealthiest entrepreneurs, Yermolaiev told Forbes Ukraine that he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 to become a Cypriot citizen. The Cyprus Registrar of Companies lists him as the director of Vespano Ltd., a firm in Limassol registered in January 2019.

Yermolaiev has been a target of political action in Kyiv. In December 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on him as part of a package targeting individuals and companies with business links to Russia or Russian-occupied territories, according to the Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda.

The attack has caused significant shock in the small Mediterranean state. Prince Albert II described the event as an odious act and announced that all public services are mobilized to maintain security. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that its embassy in France, which also handles Monaco, is coordinating with local authorities and that diplomats were present at the scene to provide assistance.

Monaco, which has a population of 38,000, is known for its high concentration of wealthy residents and an extensive security network of thousands of surveillance cameras. Only a fifth of its population are citizens of the principality.

French national police officials confirmed they are supporting the investigation and searching for the suspect. Authorities are currently investigating whether the family had received previous threats.