A powerful explosion occurred near a residential building in Monaco on the evening of June 29. Three people were injured in the blast, all of whom, according to French media, are Ukrainian citizens.
BFM reported this, citing sources, law enforcement officials and Monaco authorities.
The explosion occurred at around 9 p.m. in a residential building between Boulevard d’Italie and Rue du Révérend Père Louis Frolla, near the border with France.
According to Monaco’s Public Security, surveillance cameras recorded a man leaving a backpack or package near the building before walking away from the scene. The suspect was wearing beige trousers, a black jacket and a black hat that partially covered his face.
The Monaco prosecutor general’s office preliminarily described the explosion as “likely an attack.” At the same time, Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand urged caution regarding the legal classification of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.
According to Mirmand, the explosive device likely contained bolts and shot. Investigators and emergency services are working at the scene. France sent additional support to Monaco, including at least five vehicles and 14 firefighters from the Alpes-Maritimes department.
According to a BFM source, the three injured people include Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, his companion and a 13-year-old teenager. Two people sustained serious injuries.
Vadym Yermolaiev is a businessman from Dnipro and the founder of the Alef trading and manufacturing corporation. He has been described as one of Dnipro’s major real estate developers: the Alef group has been linked to projects such as Most-City, Cascade Plaza, Bosfor, Enigma, Prizma and others.
In 2021, Forbes Ukraine included Yermolaiev in its ranking of the 100 richest Ukrainians, estimating his fortune at about $220 million. The businessman previously told Forbes that since 2017 he has held only a Cypriot passport.
In December 2023, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council imposed 10-year sanctions on Yermolaiev. Forbes wrote that the restrictions concerned, among other things, business linked to occupied Crimea. Yermolaiev denied the accusations.
BFM also notes that Yermolaiev had been linked to Estonia’s Versobank. In 2018, the European Central Bank revoked the bank’s license over serious and prolonged violations of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements.
In addition to the three injured people, four others were taken to hospital after suffering shock from the explosion. According to Monaco authorities, they did not sustain physical injuries.
After the explosion, Monaco activated the so-called “red plan” — a special emergency response regime for incidents that could cause a large number of casualties.
The suspect who left the package near the building is currently being sought. Monaco police and French law enforcement agencies are cooperating in the search.
