An explosion at a residential building in Monaco has left three people injured, including Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, in an incident that the authorities say was almost certainly an attack targeting the tycoon.
Mr Yermolaiev and his wife were fighting for their lives in critical condition after the explosion, according to reports, while a 13-year-old child was also badly injured.
Authorities said four other people were suffering from shock and cuts as a result of broken windows.
open image in galleryTwo adults and a child were taken to hospitals in France with injuries, minister of state Christophe Mirmand said.
The blast happened shortly before 9pm local time after a bag was left outside the entryway of a residence on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla, near the border with France.
Surveillance footage showed an unidentified man leaving a backpack at the entrance of the building before fleeing, according to Le Figaro.
open image in galleryThe package left in front of the building was reportedly filled with bolts and metal pellets, along with explosives, to maximise damage.
Following the apparent attack, a suspect was seen crossing the border toward the nearby French town of Beausoleil on foot, Mr Mirmand said.
open image in galleryMr Mirmand said it was “very likely an attack”, adding that French and Monaco authorities are searching for the attacker, whose motive is under investigation.
“No event of this nature has ever happened in the Principality before,” Mr Mirmand told French news channel BFM TV.
Monaco’s leader Prince Albert II called it “an odious act” and said all the country’s services were mobilised to ensure security.
The mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, expressed solidarity with the emergency services across the border, saying the incident was a “tragedy that strikes Monaco.”
open image in galleryMr Yermolaiev is a major real estate developer in Dnipro. He founded the industrial and trading group Alef and features on Forbes list of Ukraine’s wealthiest individuals. His fortune was estimated at $220m in 2021.
He left Ukraine several years ago, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 and became a citizen of Cyprus.
In 2023, he was placed under Ukrainian sanctions by president Volodymyr Zelensky, who imposed a 10-year sanctions package over allegations tied to his alcohol business operations in Russia-occupied Crimea.