Explosion in Monaco critically injures Ukrainian oligarch and wife; suspected terrorism

On Monday, June 29, at approximately 21:00 local time, a powerful explosion occurred in a residential building in Monaco near the French border. Three members of a Ukrainian family sustained serious, life-threatening injuries. French media reported that the victims are parents aged 50–60 and a 13-year-old teenager. The parents were taken to Pasteur Hospital in Nice, while the teenager was admitted to Lenval Children's Hospital.

According to business sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda, one of the victims is Dnipro businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, founder of the Alef trading and manufacturing corporation and one of the city's largest developers. He had previously featured among Forbes' 100 richest Ukrainians but later renounced Ukrainian citizenship for a Cypriot passport. In December 2023, President Zelensky imposed 10-year personal sanctions on Yermolaiev due to his alcohol business in occupied Crimea, which paid taxes to the Russian budget. Yermolaiev was also a subject of the "Monaco Battalion" investigation into Ukrainian businessmen living on the Côte d'Azur during the war.

Surveillance footage shows an unknown man leaving a backpack at the building's entrance and fleeing on foot toward the French town of Beausoleil. The explosion occurred just as people were entering the building. Monaco's Prosecutor Thibaud Stephan confirmed two individuals are in critical condition. Monaco's Minister of State Christophe Mirmand stated that this is likely a terrorist attack, the first such incident in the principality's history. He added that the explosive device was packed with bolts and metal shot to maximize damage. Authorities are investigating whether the Ukrainian family was the intended target. Sappers, forensic experts, and police are at the scene.