Parcel Bomb Attack Injures Ukrainian Businessman and Two Others in Monaco

A suspected parcel bomb exploded outside an apartment building in Monaco on Monday evening, injuring a 58-year-old Ukrainian real estate developer and two other people. The three victims were returning to the building on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla when the device detonated. All three were taken to Pasteur Hospital in Nice for treatment of serious injuries.

CCTV footage shows a man wearing a black jacket, black bucket hat, white shoes, and beige trousers fleeing the scene toward the neighboring French town of Beausoleil. Police are treating the incident as attempted murder. One of the injured women underwent leg amputation and remains in life-threatening condition, according to Monaco public prosecutor Stephane Thibault.

The businessman suffered multiple shrapnel wounds from a backpack containing bolts and buckshot.

Background on the Victim The businessman, identified as Vadym Iermolaiev, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2017 and holds Cypriot citizenship. He serves as chairman of Alef, a company with 13 subsidiaries in agribusiness, development, and construction materials.

Ukrainian authorities sanctioned Iermolaiev in 2023 over allegations of trading alcohol in Russian-occupied Crimea and paying taxes to Russian authorities. He has denied the accusations.

Ukrainian police sources told Ukrainska Pravda that investigators are examining possible links to a call-center fraud case in Dnipro. Iermolaiev's son Artur received a suspended sentence in Estonia last year after pleading guilty to organizing telephone fraud that allegedly netted more than €100 million.

The attack occurred in Monaco, where violent crime is rare. Police have not linked the incident to terrorism or to any specific criminal network.