The Monaco Prosecutor's Office and French law enforcement agencies are continuing the large-scale operation to search for the attacker, who on Monday evening detonated a homemade bomb in front of a luxury apartment building on "Reverend Pierre Louis Frolla". Authorities officially announced that the case is being considered as an attempted premeditated murder and settling scores in criminal circles, and not as an act of terrorism.
The victims and their profile
The explosion seriously injured three people from the same family who had crossed the threshold of the building at the time of the detonation:
- Vadim Ermolaev (58 years old) – majority Ukrainian construction tycoon and entrepreneur from the city of Dnipro. In 2020, he was ranked among the 40 richest Ukrainians with a fortune of $230 million, but since 2019 he has had Cypriot citizenship.
- His partner – is in critical condition with extremely serious injuries from the waist down.
- their 13-year-old son – is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
- Four other people were examined at the scene for minor cuts from broken glass and shock.
In December 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed official sanctions on Yermolaev over economic ties and a business with alcohol products in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.
How was the attack carried out?
Monaco's Minister of State Christophe Mirmann revealed that the explosive was placed in a backpack filled with bolts and pellets for maximum damage. CCTV footage shows a man wearing a black hat partially covering his face leaving the package in the lobby and immediately leaving the area on foot.
Progress of the investigation as of this morning
- Fleeing to France: The suspect was spotted crossing the border on foot towards the neighboring French municipality of Beausoleil.
- Mobilization: Over 100 police officers, special forces and rescue teams are deployed on both sides of the border. A helicopter is also involved in the search.
- Versions: The leading hypothesis of the investigators, cited by the French media such as Le Monde and Le Figaro, is related to financial conflicts and disputes in eastern Ukraine, including investigations into large-scale fraud in Cyprus, in which one of the oligarch's eldest sons is implicated.
Prince Albert II condemned the attack, defining it as "a heinous act", and stressed that security in the principality remains an absolute priority. This is the first such deliberate bombing in the modern history of Monaco.
Sources: Le Monde, BBC News, Al Jazeera and Ukrainian Pravda