Strong explosion with casualties occurred in Monaco. An assassination attempt on a major Ukrainian businessman is reported

According to surveillance camera data, the unknown individual left a backpack near the entrance to the building on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Falla, taking advantage of a moment when people were entering, and then fled.

The explosive device in the backpack, used during the explosion, contained shrapnel elements — iron bolts and shot.

Later, information emerged that the injured might be Ukrainian citizens, although there is no official confirmation of these data yet. It is reported that they are allegedly members of the same family, a man and a woman aged 50 to 60, and one of the injured is a 13-year-old teenager. Both adults are in serious condition, while the teenager's condition is stable.

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Some sources also report a version of a possible assassination attempt on Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolayev, who was previously on the list of the wealthiest people in Ukraine and obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2019, having renounced his Ukrainian one.

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Vadym Yermolayev

58-year-old Vadym Yermolayev comes from Dnipro; he is the founder and owner of the Alef group, which operates in real estate, alcohol production, agribusiness, trade, and other areas. He has long been one of the main developers in Dnipro.

In 2023, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions against him for a period of 10 years. According to Ukrainian authorities, these measures were related, in particular, to accusations that part of his business continued its activities in annexed Crimea after 2014.

Yermolayev himself publicly denied these accusations. Before the imposition of sanctions, he regularly appeared in lists of the richest people in Ukraine according to Forbes, "Focus", and other publications.

Yermolayev's eldest son, Artur, created a network of fraudulent call centers that deceived EU residents. In December 2025, he was detained in Cyprus and extradited to Estonia, where he was subsequently prosecuted for creating a criminal organization. According to the investigation, his call centers stole about 100 million euros from residents of various countries, including 5 million euros from Estonian citizens. As a result, Artur Yermolayev was forced to pay Estonia 8.5 million euros, was sentenced to a suspended sentence and a travel ban, and left the country.

Law enforcement agencies and official structures of Monaco have not yet confirmed either the motives or the final circumstances of the incident. A red threat level has been declared in the principality.

Monaco's head of government, Christophe Mirman, suggested that the explosion could have been a terrorist attack.

"At the moment, the police are collecting evidence. As far as I know, this is the first time in history that such an event has occurred in the principality," BFMTV quoted him as saying.

Monaco has declared a "Red Plan" for crisis management, mobilizing emergency services, police, and security services. The head of government, the state prosecutor, the president of Monaco's National Council, and a "close representative" of Prince Albert II are on site, Le Parisien reported.

France has sent rescue teams to Monaco for reinforcement, and French police are cooperating in the search for the fugitive. According to preliminary information, he fled towards the French town of Beausoleil — the border with France is very close to the scene of the attack, and Beausoleil is only a few kilometers from Monaco.

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Photo of the alleged perpetrator of the attack

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