'Deliberate' explosion rocks Monaco, Ukrainian oligarch injured
A deliberate explosion in a residential building in Monaco injured three people, including a Ukrainian oligarch who has been under sanctions. Authorities are investigating the blast as a targeted attack, marking a rare security incident for the principality.
Why it matters
The targeting of a sanctioned individual in a high-security location like Monaco highlights the reach of international conflicts and the potential for targeted violence against high-profile figures.
Three people, including a teenager, were wounded in the explosion that struck around 9pm Monday local time (5am Tuesday AEST) in a residential building on a street along the border with France. A source close to the investigation who asked not to be named told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency that one of those wounded was Yermolaiev. Monaco's minister of state Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP the blast appeared to be "an attack", but later dropped that term, describing it as a "deliberate explosion". Monaco's Prince Albert II described the incident as a "heinous crime" and "a shock to the entire Monegasque community". An aide to France's interior minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled". An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead. Public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building's lobby before leaving. Nothing appeared for the moment to indicate why the building might have been targeted, he said. A couple in their 50s or 60s wounded in the blast were in life-threatening conditions, while a 13-year-old who was "very likely related to the couple" suffered less serious injuries, Mirmand said, without disclosing their identities. Emergency services treated four other people for shock and cuts from windows shattered in the blast. The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said. "This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality," he said. Yermolaiev, a multi-millionaire Monaco resident, has been subject to sanctions from Kyiv since December 2023, which Ukrainian security services reportedly said stemmed from his alcohol business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea. Mirmand said the prosecutor would give a news briefing on Tuesday local time. <b><i>download our app</i></b> <b><i>subscribe to our newsletter</i></b>
The article reports on the event using official statements from local authorities and police.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in