A major cross-border investigation into a deliberate parcel bombing in Monaco has moved quickly, with authorities identifying a suspect and issuing an international arrest warrant just days after the attack that left three people, including a sanctioned Ukrainian-born millionaire, seriously wounded. The explosion, which rocked a residential apartment building near Monaco’s border with France on Monday evening, has been classified as an attempted murder by investigators, ruling out terrorism as a motive.
Surveillance footage captured an individual leaving the explosive package in the building’s entrance hall shortly before three victims entered the space and triggered the blast. Immediately after the detonation, the suspect fled toward Beausoleil, a French commune that borders the tiny principality, according to official statements. Initial investigations described the suspect, who wore a black hat to obscure their features, as a man, but local media reports have since claimed the person of interest is actually a woman attempting to hide her identity. Monaco’s top public prosecutor Stéphane Thibault declined to confirm that detail, but praised the rapid joint work between Monegasque and French law enforcement that led to the quick identification of the suspect.
In an official statement released Thursday night, Monaco’s prosecutor’s office confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued for the foreign national suspect, who is no longer believed to be on Monegasque territory. An Interpol Red Notice, the global police agency’s highest-level alert for wanted persons, will also be issued starting Thursday evening. An official update on the investigation is scheduled for 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) Friday.
While Monaco authorities have not formally released the identities of the three injured people, multiple local and international media reports confirm the attack targeted Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, his partner and his 13-year-old son. Yermolaiev, a wealthy real estate and business magnate, has resided in Monaco for years and became a Cypriot citizen after renouncing his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. He retains extensive business holdings in the wine and alcohol industry in Crimea, the Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014, a status that led Kyiv to impose personal sanctions on him in 2023. Before he renounced his citizenship, Forbes ranked Yermolaiev as the 39th richest person in Ukraine in 2020, estimating his total net worth at $230 million (£173.8 million).
All three victims were rushed to nearby hospitals for emergency care immediately after the blast. The two adult victims were initially listed in critical condition. As of Wednesday, Yermolaiev’s condition has improved and he is no longer considered to be in life-threatening danger, but his partner has not yet stabilized, according to reports from Agence France-Presse. The 13-year-old victim’s condition has not been updated in official briefings.
Monaco’s ruling monarch Prince Albert II has publicly condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous crime” that shocked the normally quiet and secure principality.