Explosion in Monaco injures 3, including Ukrainian tycoon
✓Investigators examine the scene at the residential building where an explosive device seriously injured three people a day earlier in Monaco, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Philippe Magoni/AP hide caption
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Philippe Magoni/AP
MONACO — Monaco 's chief prosecutor said Tuesday that the suspect who placed an explosive device that injured three people, including a reported Ukrainian tycoon, acted alone and remains at large.
Police in the principality have opened an attempted murder investigation into Monday's incident but aren't qualifying it as a terrorism investigation, Prosecutor Stephane Thibault told reporters. The motive remains unclear.
One of the three injured is a woman in life-threatening condition, he said. The other is a man who is no longer in life-threatening condition and a child whose life isn't in danger, he said. He didn't provide their identities.
The suspected attacker fled into neighboring France, authorities have said.
Media reports identified Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as being among the injured. Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda said he was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia.
The injured woman is being treated at a hospital in Nice, Christophe Mirmand, the minister of state for Monaco, told French news broadcaster LCI on Tuesday. Her partner and a 13-year-old child suffered less severe injuries but remain at hospital, he added.
The explosion occurred around 9 p.m. on Monday at the entrance of a residence near the French border.
Law enforcement officers were deployed Tuesday morning in Monaco and the surrounding area. French and Monaco authorities are searching for an unidentified suspect, whose motive is under investigation, authorities said.
The three victims were "apparently returning home peacefully" in the early evening, according to surveillance footage, Mirmand said. "They were caught in the explosion as they crossed the threshold of their apartment building," he said.
The victims are "regular" residents of Monaco, but authorities do not yet know whether the family had been threatened in the past, Mirmand said.
"It appears that the family was specifically targeted," he emphasized, noting that the alleged perpetrator "had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims," according to surveillance footage. "In the minutes before the explosion, he was apparently waiting for the victims."
The attack has shocked the elite principality on the Mediterranean Coast. Monaco's Prince Albert II described it as "an odious act" and said all the country's services were mobilized to ensure security.
A French national police official said a search is underway for the suspect.
Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born businessman originally from the city of Dnipro, built his fortune through the Alef Group, a diversified holding with interests including commercial real estate, manufacturing and agriculture. He became one of the country's best-known property developers, leading projects that reshaped parts of Dnipro's city center, and has regularly appeared in rankings of Ukraine's wealthiest businesspeople.
In an interview with Forbes Ukraine, Yermolaiev said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and became a Cypriot citizen in 2017.
In December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Yermolaiev as part of a broader package targeting individuals and companies Kyiv said had business links to Russia or Russian-occupied territories.
A coastal playground for the rich and famous, Monaco is renowned as much for its tax-friendly incentives and Formula 1 Grand Prix as its glamorous royal family. The small principality is widely regarded as one of the safest places in the world, including through its extensive surveillance network composed of thousands of CCTV cameras covering most public spaces.
Monaco's population of 38,000 is multinational, with only a fifth of the population actually citizens of the principality.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Sky News ↗
An explosion at a residential building in Monaco on Monday evening injured three people: a woman in life-threatening condition, a man with less severe injuries, and a 13-year-old child. Media reports identify one of the injured as Ukrainian construction magnate Vadym Yermolaiev. Monaco's chief prosecutor confirmed a suspect placed an explosive device and remains at large, having fled to neighboring France. Surveillance footage indicates the perpetrator waited in the area and positioned himself before the victims arrived home; authorities characterize this as a deliberate targeting rather than a random attack. The motive is under investigation. Yermolaiev, who built wealth through real estate and diversified business interests in Ukraine before renouncing his citizenship for Cypriot citizenship in 2017, was sanctioned by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in December 2023 over alleged business links to Russia. French and Monaco authorities are searching for the unidentified suspect.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Sky News ↗
Investigators examine the scene at the residential building where an explosive device seriously injured three people a day earlier in Monaco, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Philippe Magoni/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Philippe Magoni/AP
MONACO — Monaco 's chief prosecutor said Tuesday that the suspect who placed an explosive device that injured three people, including a reported Ukrainian tycoon, acted alone and remains at large.
Police in the principality have opened an attempted murder investigation into Monday's incident but aren't qualifying it as a terrorism investigation, Prosecutor Stephane Thibault told reporters. The motive remains unclear.
One of the three injured is a woman in life-threatening condition, he said. The other is a man who is no longer in life-threatening condition and a child whose life isn't in danger, he said. He didn't provide their identities.
The suspected attacker fled into neighboring France, authorities have said.
Media reports identified Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as being among the injured. Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda said he was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia.
The injured woman is being treated at a hospital in Nice, Christophe Mirmand, the minister of state for Monaco, told French news broadcaster LCI on Tuesday. Her partner and a 13-year-old child suffered less severe injuries but remain at hospital, he added.
The explosion occurred around 9 p.m. on Monday at the entrance of a residence near the French border.
Law enforcement officers were deployed Tuesday morning in Monaco and the surrounding area. French and Monaco authorities are searching for an unidentified suspect, whose motive is under investigation, authorities said.
The three victims were "apparently returning home peacefully" in the early evening, according to surveillance footage, Mirmand said. "They were caught in the explosion as they crossed the threshold of their apartment building," he said.
The victims are "regular" residents of Monaco, but authorities do not yet know whether the family had been threatened in the past, Mirmand said.
"It appears that the family was specifically targeted," he emphasized, noting that the alleged perpetrator "had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims," according to surveillance footage. "In the minutes before the explosion, he was apparently waiting for the victims."
The attack has shocked the elite principality on the Mediterranean Coast. Monaco's Prince Albert II described it as "an odious act" and said all the country's services were mobilized to ensure security.
A French national police official said a search is underway for the suspect.
Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born businessman originally from the city of Dnipro, built his fortune through the Alef Group, a diversified holding with interests including commercial real estate, manufacturing and agriculture. He became one of the country's best-known property developers, leading projects that reshaped parts of Dnipro's city center, and has regularly appeared in rankings of Ukraine's wealthiest businesspeople.
In an interview with Forbes Ukraine, Yermolaiev said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and became a Cypriot citizen in 2017.
In December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Yermolaiev as part of a broader package targeting individuals and companies Kyiv said had business links to Russia or Russian-occupied territories.
A coastal playground for the rich and famous, Monaco is renowned as much for its tax-friendly incentives and Formula 1 Grand Prix as its glamorous royal family. The small principality is widely regarded as one of the safest places in the world, including through its extensive surveillance network composed of thousands of CCTV cameras covering most public spaces.
Monaco's population of 38,000 is multinational, with only a fifth of the population actually citizens of the principality.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Sky News ↗
An explosive device injured three people at a residential building entrance in Monaco on Monday around 9 p.m. One victim is a woman in life-threatening condition; the other two are a man and a 13-year-old child with less severe injuries. Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev is among the injured, according to media reports. Monaco's chief prosecutor stated the suspect acted alone and remains at large, having fled to France. Authorities are treating the incident as attempted murder rather than terrorism. Surveillance footage shows the suspect waiting in the area and positioning himself before the victims arrived. The motive remains unclear. Yermolaiev renounced Ukrainian citizenship and became a Cypriot citizen in 2017. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Yermolaiev in December 2023 for alleged business links to Russia. The attack has shocked the principality, described by Prince Albert II as an odious act.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · Sky News ↗
- An explosive device injured three people in Monaco on Monday evening, including Ukrainian tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev; one victim remains in life-threatening condition.
- Authorities say the suspect acted alone, fled to France, and deliberately targeted the family based on surveillance footage showing advance positioning.
- Monaco's prosecutor is treating this as attempted murder rather than terrorism; motive remains unclear though Yermolaiev faced Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for alleged Russian business ties.