Manhunt in France as Bomb Injures Ukrainian Oligarch in Monaco

A parcel bomb exploded at a residential building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla in Monaco, severely injuring real estate developer Vadym Yermolaiev, his wife and 13‑year‑old son. The trio was treated at a hospital in Nice, with Yermolaiev and partner in critical condition.

The blast occurred shortly before 21:00 local time, as the suspect left the scene on foot toward Beausoleil, France. Video surveillance captured a man dropping a backpack in the lobby before the explosion, and police now engage in a manhunt across the French border.

Monaco’s government declared the attacker “a suspect” who fled towards France, and authorities deployed over 100 police and emergency personnel to the site. The incident marks the first violent act of its kind in this principality, provoking a response from Prince Albert II who described the attack as a heinous crime and a shock to the community.

Yermolaiev, a 58‑year‑old wealthy developer from Dnipro, has lived in Monaco since 2019 after renouncing Ukrainian citizenship and gaining Cypriot nationality. He has significant interests in the wine and alcohol businesses in the Russian‑annexed Crimea region, and has been the subject of sanctions imposed by Kyiv since 2023. In 2020, Forbes ranked him the 39th richest Ukrainian with a fortune of $230 million (£173.8 million).