Published on 6/30/2026
Three people, believed to be among them prominent Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, were injured in an explosive device explosion in Monaco yesterday evening, Monday, in an act that the principality’s authorities described as “deliberate” and “unprecedented,” after which they began – in cooperation with France – to hunt down a person suspected of being the perpetrator.
Monaco’s Minister of State, Christophe Merman, said – in statements to the BFM channel – that a couple in their fifties or sixties were injured in the explosion and are in a critical condition, while a 13-year-old minor, “very likely a relative of the couple,” was injured with less serious injuries, without the minister revealing the identities of the injured.
Merman described what happened as “an explosion carried out deliberately,” and said: “As far as I know, this is the first time in history that the emirate has witnessed a similar act,” noting that the Public Prosecutor will hold a press briefing today, Tuesday.
Agence France-Presse quoted a source familiar with the investigation as saying that one of the injured was Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev.
Yermolaev, who resides in Monaco, has been subject to sanctions imposed on him by Kiev since December 2023, due to his commercial activity in the liquor sector within the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Ambulance crews provided treatment to four other people who suffered shock and injuries resulting from shattered window glass as a result of the explosion.
Explosion details
The explosion occurred in a residential building in Monaco, located on a street extending along the border with France, at approximately 9 pm local time (7 pm GMT).
Agence France-Presse reported that there were intense security reinforcements in the area, with a security cordon imposed preventing access to it, while a helicopter was flying in the air.
Public Prosecutor Stefan Thibault said that a suspect left a bag or package in the lobby of the building and then left. He added that there is no indication – until this moment – as to why this building was targeted.
Local and French media published footage from surveillance cameras showing a man leaving a bag in the lobby of the building and then running away. Reports stated that the suspect fled towards the city of Beausoleil in France.
An aide to the French Interior Minister said that the police were working “to find the perpetrator who fled.”
For his part, Prince Albert II of Monaco described the incident as a “heinous crime” and “a shock to the entire society.”
