A hunt spanning Monaco and neighboring France was underway today after a parcel bomb ripped through the wealthy principality, wounding three people in what two sources said was an attack targeting a Ukrainian-born oligarch.
Authorities believe the suspected bomber escaped on foot into France, Monaco prosecutor Stephane Thibault said, following yesterday evening’s blast.
Famed for its casino, luxury yachts and the closely guarded world of its ultra-wealthy residents, Monaco sits between the Mediterranean and France, with no border controls separating the two countries.
Emergency teams rushed to the scene late last night
A source with knowledge of the investigation said the man hurt in the explosion was Ukrainian-born oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, and that the woman injured alongside him, his partner, suffered severe wounds from the waist down.
Mr Yermolaiev obtained Cypriot nationality in 2019 and was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023, which Ukrainian media say was linked to business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea.
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The Ukrainian embassy in Paris said it was working to verify the identity and nationality of those involved.
Mr Thibault said he could not confirm the victims’ identities, noting that police had not yet interviewed them, but added that the man injured in the blast had been living in Monaco since at least 2021.
All three remained in hospital, he said. The woman, whose name he did not disclose, was in critical condition, while the man’s injuries were no longer considered critical.
A large police contingent was sent to the area
Mr Thibault told a press conference that the attacker left a parcel outside a building shortly before the three residents of the ground floor flat arrived, and the package exploded as they reached the spot.
Investigators are treating the case as attempted murder.
“In coordination with the French authorities, we are pursuing efforts to identify and apprehend him. I hope that will happen quickly, given the resources we are deploying,” Mr Thibault said.
Prince Albert of Monaco called the bombing “an odious act,” saying the attack had shaken the entire principality.
In February, German police arrested a suspect in the killing of a former pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who was shot outside a school in an affluent Madrid suburb in 2025.
