At least three Ukrainian citizens, among them a billionaire oligarch who had left his country amid the war with Russia, were seriously injured when a bomb detonated in central Monaco.
The improvised explosive device, reportedly packed with nuts and bolts, exploded in the lobby of an apartment building known as the Sun’s Palace shortly after 9pm on Monday.
Several local sources, including the Monaco Matin news outlet, identified one of the injured as Vadim Ermolaev, regarded as one of Ukraine’s richest businessmen.
Ermolaev is understood to have departed Ukraine after the latest phase of fighting with Russia began.
A second victim, believed to be Ermolaev’s wife and described as being in her 50s or 60s, was said by a witness to have suffered catastrophic injuries, including ‘her feet missing,’ and was seen ‘slumped over, covered in blood’ after the explosion.
The third person hurt has been confirmed as a 13-year-old boy. All three are believed to be members of the same family and were in the building’s entrance area when the blast occurred.
The device, which investigators are understood to be treating as ‘likely to be an attack,’ was allegedly left inside a backpack by a male suspect wearing a black hat, a tracksuit top, white jeans and trainers.
According to French newspaper Le Figaro, CCTV footage appeared to show a man placing a bag at the building’s entrance moments before the explosion.
Three Ukrainian nationals including a billionaire oligarch fleeing the war against Russia were seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in the centre of Monaco
One victim was named locally as Vadim Ermolaev (pictured) who is ranked among Ukraine’s wealthiest men
Monaco police officers patrol near the site of the explosion
The explosive device containing nuts and bolts went off in the foyer of an apartment block at around 9pm on Monday
Video footage posted online appeared to show him running away from the scene.
A manhunt for the suspect has since been launched by police in Monaco. An aide to France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working ‘to find the perpetrator, who has fled’.
Early reports from Lionel Beffre, a Monaco government official, said there were ‘three victims in a critical condition’, including Ermolaev, a Ukrainian woman in ‘their 50s or 60s’ and a 13-year-old.
A witness described seeing a ‘little boy’ at the site, who was ‘lying on the ground, covered in blood, with someone trying to help him’.
The two adults, including Ermolaev, were taken to the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, while the minor was treated close to the scene.
A fourth person was also hospitalised following the blast, which appears to be part of a planned attack on the 1920s building on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla.
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Marine Cotta, a neighbour who witnessed the explosion, said the noise was ‘like fireworks’.
She said: ‘I could hear the police, alarms, and fire trucks, and that’s when I thought, “Okay, something is going on”.’
A manhunt for the suspect, who fled after planting the device, has since been launched by police in Monaco
A Ukrainian woman in ‘their 50s or 60s’ and a teenager have also been hospitalised following the blast
Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s Minister of State, said the detonation was ‘likely to be an attack’.
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.’
Vadim Ermolaev is among the around one hundred Ukrainian oligarchs that have fled the war with Russia to live on the French Riviera.
He made his fortune as a real estate developer in Dnipro, central Ukraine, before leaving the country with his family.
His Alef Group, which he set up following the fall of the Soviet Union, was also involved in wine and spirits production in the Crimea.
Ermolaev became a citizen of Cyprus in 2019, and in December 2023 Ukraine imposed sanctions on him, including asset restrictions.
Like many oligarchs who became rich following the fall of the Soviet Union, he has faced accusations of criminality, including money laundering, which he denies.
Ermolaev has four children – two boys and two girls – with his wife, Anna Ermolaev, who is a dentist and charity worker.
In recent years, the family has been living in absolute luxury in Monte Carlo, where they had a very high profile.
Ermolaev was known for parking his Ukrainian-registered Bentley outside the Monte Carlo Casino Square.
He also owned a super yacht flying the Ukrainian flag and owned a high-security villa in nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Monaco is a globally famous tax haven on the French Riviera full of high-worth residents.
It prides itself on its crime-free reputation, and attracts billionaire business people and celebrities from all over the world.
But there have been numerous corruption scandals on the so-called Rock in recent years, including allegations of money laundering by mafia-style gangs, including ones from Ukraine.
Prince Albert, the ruler of Monaco, has pledged to clamp down on corruption, with the help of the French authorities.
Despite Monaco’s independence, its defence is primarily the responsibility of the government in Paris.
