Bomb blast in Monaco leaves Ukrainian billionaire hurt, hunt begins
A parcel bomb blew up outside an upscale building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla in Monaco on Monday night, injuring 58‑year‑old Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, his wife and their 13‑year‑old son.
The blast triggered a rapid response, with 100 police officers, a helicopter, and fire crews arriving within five minutes. Two victims were rushed to hospital in Nice, France, where they are in critical condition.
- Emergency services treated four others for shock and cuts from shattered shop windows.
- Monaco’s chief prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, says the incident is an "attempted murder", not a terrorism case.
- Video evidence shows a man dropping a backpack in a lobby before the explosion and then fleeing toward the French commune of Beausoleil.
- Monaco’s president the Prince, Albert II, described the attack as a “heinous crime” and a shock to the community.
Yermolaiev, once a Ukrainian citizen but now a Cypriot, owns real‑estate and alcohol ventures in Russian‑annexed Crimea. He was listed by Forbes as the 39th richest Ukrainian in 2020.
The French and Monaco authorities are running a manhunt across the border, searching for a single suspect believed to have fled into France after the blast.
For more details, visit the BBC notes on the incident or watch the televised coverage from AFP.
