Monaco Bombing Injures 3, Suspect Reportedly Targeted Ukrainian-Born Magnate

(Taipei, June 30, CNA) Police in Monaco and neighboring France are continuing their search for a man suspected of detonating an improvised explosive device in Monaco, an incident that left three people injured. French and Ukrainian media have reported that the suspect's target was a Ukrainian-born magnate.

Reuters reported that Monaco's Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told French broadcaster BFM TV that the suspect is believed to have fled into France.

Mirmand also stated that the three main injured individuals remain in the hospital, with one woman suffering the most severe injuries. Local newspaper Monaco Matin reported that the woman had part of her lower limbs blown off.

French media BFM TV and Le Figaro identified the intended target as Vadym Yermolaiev. He was a major real estate developer in Dnipro, Ukraine, but left the country years ago, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship, and became a Cypriot citizen.

Yermolaiev was placed on Ukraine's sanctions list in December 2023, which Ukrainian media attributed to his business dealings in Russian-occupied Crimea. However, in a 2024 interview with Ukrainian media outlet RBC-Ukraine, he denied owning or operating any businesses in Crimea.

The French Ministry of the Interior stated that French emergency services have been deployed to the scene to support and cooperate with police in tracking down the fugitive suspect.

Mirmand told French media, "This kind of incident has never happened before in the Principality (of Monaco)."

He neither confirmed nor denied that Yermolaiev was the target of the attack.

The explosion occurred yesterday evening around 9 p.m. (19:00 GMT) in the center of Monaco, a microstate on the French Riviera known for its concentration of billionaires and luxury yachts, and considered a tax haven.

Le Figaro reported that surveillance footage showed a man placing a backpack at the entrance of a residential building shortly before the explosion.

BFM TV, citing the Monaco prosecutor general, reported that the explosive device was a "parcel bomb." Prince Albert of Monaco described the attack as "an abhorrent act." (Intern intern translator: Tseng Yi-chieh / Editor: Yang Chao-yen) 1150630

Stand with facts, your every donation is a force to protect press freedom

Download the CNA "One-Stop News" APP to get the latest news in real-time

Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.