A woman is fighting for her life after losing both legs in a parcel bomb attack that targeted a Ukrainian oligarch in Monaco, as a manhunt for the suspected bomber spreads across southern France.
Vadym Yermolaiev, a 58-year-old real estate tycoon who relocated to Monaco after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was seriously injured along with his partner and their 13-year-old son when an explosive device detonated in the lobby of their apartment building shortly before 9pm local time on Monday.
“A woman lost both legs in a parcel bomb attack targeting Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco; manhunt underway.”
The bomb, which Monaco’s head of government Christophe Mirmand said appeared to contain bolts and pellets, left the woman in a critical condition. French sources say she has undergone surgery to amputate her legs. The boy suffered the least serious injuries. Yermolaiev is no longer in a life-threatening condition after sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” Mirmand told AFP.
Monaco’s Prince Albert II described the attack as a “heinous crime” and “a shock to the entire Monaco community”.
Police are treating the explosion as attempted murder, not terrorism. Monaco public prosecutor Stéphane Thibault said a single suspect is being sought. CCTV images show a man dropping a backpack in the building’s lobby shortly before the blast. Mirmand said the suspect appeared to “have left for France”, with video surveillance showing him fleeing on foot towards the French commune of Beausoleil.
“We heard a big commotion outside, and then there was a procession of police cars heading off,” a British resident who lives nearby told the Mirror.
Ukrainian police are investigating whether the attack is linked to a €100 million call centre fraud scheme allegedly connected to Yermolaiev, British media reported. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said its embassy in France is in contact with Monaco’s authorities and working to identify those injured.
Harri Richie, who lives 100 metres from the targeted building, told the BBC she heard an “unbelievably loud explosion” from an underground car park. When she reached her 11th floor apartment, she saw emergency services “dragging two people out who looked badly injured”.
Four other people were treated for shock and cuts from debris from nearby shop windows. More than 100 police and emergency personnel were deployed.
The manhunt continues, with French and Monégasque authorities coordinating their efforts. The question of who planned the attack and why remains unanswered.