Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev has been wounded along with a woman and a child after an explosive device detonated at the entrance of an apartment building in Monaco late on Monday, in what authorities have described as a deliberate, targeted attack.
Monaco's minister of state, Christophe Mirmand, confirmed the blast appeared to be no accident, telling reporters: "It appears that the family was specifically targeted." A suspect fled the scene on foot immediately after the explosion and remained at large as of Tuesday, with a search underway led by local authorities.
What happened at the Monaco apartment building
The explosion tore through the entrance of a residential building in the wealthy Mediterranean principality on Monday night. Surveillance footage reviewed by authorities showed the suspect had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims before detonating the device, according to Mirmand.
After the blast, the suspect made his escape on foot via steps leading to a small street in the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil, just across Monaco's border. Images from surveillance cameras reportedly showed the suspect in the street shortly after the attack.
A neighbour who lives across from the building, Silvano Ippolito, described hearing the explosion and seeing a young boy on the ground being attended to by bystanders. He called his wife, a doctor, who rushed to provide emergency first aid to a badly injured woman — applying tourniquets and performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as the woman began losing consciousness before paramedics arrived.
Ippolito also described a man emerging from the building covered in blood and staggering. As the man attempted to descend the stairs, the staircase gave way, causing him to fall onto Ippolito's wife and a firefighter. The woman's injuries were described as "a real disaster" and she remained in a life-threatening condition. Her partner and a 13-year-old child suffered less severe injuries but were still hospitalised on Tuesday.
Who is Vadym Yermolaiev?
Reports identified Yermolaiev as the man injured in the blast. He is a Ukrainian-born construction magnate who has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago. In 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on him over alleged ties to Russia. Authorities confirmed the family are regular residents of Monaco, and it was not yet known whether they had previously received any threats.
Monaco police have opened an attempted murder investigation , though prosecutors stressed it was not being treated as a terrorism matter. Prosecutor Stéphane Thibault said the motive remained unclear.
Geopolitical backdrop raises questions
The attack has drawn immediate attention given its broader context. Russia has a well-documented history of targeting perceived enemies on foreign soil, and Western intelligence officials have noted an intensification of such operations since President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine is also believed to have conducted targeted operations against Russian-linked figures, though those have generally been limited to Ukrainian or Russian territory.
Neither country has been linked to this attack, and authorities said it was not yet clear who was responsible or why the family was singled out.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed its embassy in France — which also covers Monaco — had been in contact with local authorities, and that Ukrainian diplomats were present at the scene to provide assistance.
Monaco shocked; Prince Albert condemns the attack
The explosion sent shockwaves through one of the world's smallest and wealthiest sovereign states. Prince Albert II condemned what he called "an odious act" and said all public services had been mobilised to bolster security across the principality.
Authorities confirmed they did not yet know whether the victims had been threatened prior to the attack, and the search for the suspect was continuing.
