A Ukrainian businessman, his partner and their teenage son were injured Monday night in Monaco after a man allegedly set off a homemade explosive device — an incident officials described as the principality’s first known “deliberate” attack of this nature.
The device, reportedly packed with bolts and buckshot, exploded shortly before 9 p.m. local time after surveillance footage showed a man leaving a backpack at the entrance to a residential building, French media reported.
A source close to the investigation told AFP that Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was among those hurt in the blast, according to France24.
Monaco Daily News reported that Yermolaiev’s partner and his 13-year-old son were also injured.
Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told AFP the “deliberate explosion” left the adult couple, described as being in their 50s and 60s, with life-threatening injuries. The teenager sustained less severe wounds. Authorities have not formally released the victims’ names.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” Mirmand said.
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Four additional people were treated by emergency crews for shock and cuts caused by shattered glass following the blast near the French border, France24 reported.
Yermolaiev, a multimillionaire Monaco resident, has been under sanctions imposed by Kyiv since December 2023, reportedly linked to his alcohol business operations in Russian-occupied Crimea, the outlet said.
A motive is not immediately known for the attack.
Eric Ciotti, the right-wing mayor of nearby Nice, wrote on X that “the attack committed this evening is a tragedy for Monaco.” “Thoughts for the victims, their families, and the people of Monaco. Total support for the security forces and emergency services mobilized,” he added.
Monaco is a tax-free microstate on the French Riviera known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts.
Local officials plan to hold a news briefing on the blast on Tuesday.
With Post wires
