Police in Monaco and France launched a manhunt Tuesday after a parcel bomb explosion in the wealthy principality left three people injured. Two sources told investigators the attack was directed at a Ukrainian-born oligarch living in Monaco.
Monaco prosecutor Stephane Thibault said the suspect is believed to have escaped on foot across the border into France following the Monday evening attack. Because Monaco is bordered by both the Mediterranean Sea and France, and there are no border checkpoints between the two countries, the suspect was able to flee without being stopped.
A source familiar with the investigation identified the man wounded in the blast as Ukrainian-born oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev. His partner, who was also injured in the attack, suffered serious wounds from the waist down. A police source confirmed the injured couple were Yermolaiev and his partner, and that a third person hurt in the explosion — less seriously — was his son.
Thibault declined to officially confirm the identities of the victims, noting they had not yet been interviewed by police. He did say the man had been living in Monaco since at least 2021. All three remained hospitalized, with the woman listed in critical condition and the man’s condition no longer considered critical.
Yermolaiev obtained Cypriot citizenship in 2019 and was placed under Ukrainian government sanctions in 2023. Ukrainian media have reported the sanctions were related to conducting business in Russian-occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian embassy in Paris said it was working to verify the identities and nationalities of those involved.
According to Thibault, the attacker left the parcel in front of a building shortly before the three residents — who live on the ground floor — arrived. The bomb detonated as they approached. The suspect faces charges of attempted murder.
“In coordination with the French authorities, we are pursuing efforts to identify and apprehend him. I hope that will happen quickly, given the resources we are deploying,” Thibault said at a press conference.
Prince Albert of Monaco called the bombing “an odious act” and said it came as a shock to everyone in the principality.
The attack comes amid a broader pattern of violence connected to Ukrainian political figures. In February, a suspect believed to be responsible for killing a former pro-Russian Ukrainian politician outside a school in a wealthy Madrid suburb in 2025 was arrested in Germany.
