One of Ukraine’s richest businessmen, his wife and their young son have been critically injured after a suspected parcel bomb exploded outside a luxury apartment block in Monaco, triggering a major police manhunt.
Authorities believe the blast was a targeted attack after the explosive device detonated in the entrance hall of the exclusive Sun’s Palace residence in the heart of the principality.
Local officials confirmed three people suffered life-threatening injuries, while investigators spent the night searching for a suspect believed to have fled the scene.
Among those injured is Ukrainian billionaire Vadim Ermolaev, founder of the Alef Group and one of Ukraine’s wealthiest businessmen. Local media reported that his wife, Anna, and the couple’s 13-year-old son were also caught in the explosion.
Witnesses described scenes of horror as the blast ripped through the building’s foyer.
One bystander said a woman was left “slumped over, covered in blood”, while another recalled seeing a young boy lying on the ground as members of the public desperately tried to help him before emergency crews arrived.
🇲🇨 A bomb packed with bolts and metal shot tore through the lobby of a luxury building in Monaco tonight, injuring sanctioned Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev and his family.
A man was caught on CCTV dropping a backpack at the entrance around 9 PM before fleeing toward the… pic.twitter.com/pYgD8AHVOZ
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) June 29, 2026
CCTV footage released by investigators reportedly shows a man wearing a dark jacket, hat and light-coloured trousers, who is now the focus of an intensive search.
Monaco’s Minister of State, Christophe Mirmand, said initial evidence suggested the explosion was “likely an attack”.
This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has occurred in the Principality,” he said.
The explosion prompted Monaco to activate its highest emergency response, known as the “Red Plan”, with firefighters and medical teams rushing across the border from neighbouring France to assist local emergency services.
🚨 Explosion scene in Monaco 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/GpZZcCHCUc
— Arinze Okpala (@ArinzeOkpala2) June 30, 2026
Mr Ermolaev built his fortune through the Alef Group, a business empire spanning commercial property, manufacturing and agriculture, centred on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
He relocated abroad after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is among a number of wealthy Ukrainian business figures who have settled in Monaco in recent years. He previously obtained Cypriot citizenship, citing concerns about legal protections in Ukraine.
The businessman is well known in Monaco’s exclusive circles, where he has frequently been seen driving a Ukrainian-registered Bentley around Monte Carlo and is reported to own a luxury yacht flying the Ukrainian flag.
Police have not announced a motive for the suspected bombing and have yet to confirm whether the Ermolaev family was deliberately targeted.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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