A Ukrainian oligarch, Vadim Ermolaev, and two other people were injured on Monday evening June 29 in Monaco in the explosion of a “parcel bomb”, the first of its kind in the principality. The explosion occurred around 9:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT) in a residential building in the ultra-secure 2 km2 Mediterranean microstate along the border with France.
Denouncing “a heinous crime”, Prince Albert II spoke in a press release of “a shock for the entire Monegasque community”, while affirming: “The Principality of Monaco will remain united and determined in the face of violence and crime. The safety of our community has always been a priority; it will remain so more than ever, whatever the threats.”
The Monegasque authorities reported two injuries in absolute emergency, a couple aged 50/60, and one injured in relative emergency, a 13-year-old teenager, without specifying their identity.
“This evening, shortly before 9 p.m., a violent explosion linked to a parcel bomb was heard in the Principality not far from Place des Moulins,” the Monaco government said on X.
This evening, shortly before 9 p.m., a violent explosion linked to a parcel bomb was heard in the Principality not far from Place des Moulins.
The area was quickly cordoned off by law enforcement. Three people were injured, two adults and a child transported… pic.twitter.com/NRjnhm9qkl
— Monaco Government (@GvtMonaco) June 29, 2026
I manage my choices I authorize
According to a source close to the file confirming information from BFMTV, the man is Vadim Ermolaev, an oligarch from Ukraine. Residing in Monaco, he has been the subject of sanctions since December 2023 under a decision of the National Security Council (NSDC) promulgated by President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to several media outlets citing the Ukrainian security services, these sanctions are due to the multimillionaire’s choice to continue his alcohol trading activities in Crimea under Russian occupation.
The identity of the victims has not been confirmed in Monaco, where Attorney General Stéphane Thibault is due to hold a press conference on Tuesday, according to Minister of State (head of government) Christophe Mirmand.
The explosive device was in a bag or package that a person left in the lobby of the building before leaving. “This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has occurred in the Principality,” declared Christophe Mirmand.
In this context, “it is important to be able to work with the intelligence services to identify the environment of the victims, to identify if other people could be affected by particular threats, and to be able to ensure that these facts do not happen again in the principality,” he added during a press briefing late Monday evening.
Collaboration with France
Around fifty firefighters, including around ten French reinforcements, were mobilized to help the injured. At the same time, 84 public security agents were dispatched to secure the area. According to the entourage of French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, “police collaboration has been put in place to find the perpetrator on the run”.
According to Christophe Mirmand, witnesses gave information to identify him, and he was spotted on video surveillance images from Monaco and Beausoleil, the neighboring French town which he reached on foot.
The three injured were transported to Nice, around twenty kilometers from Monaco, the two adults to the Pasteur University Hospital and the youngest to the Lenval children’s hospital. Four other people were treated by rescuers, including a shocked person and several victims of cuts due to windows blown out by the explosion, explained Christophe Mirmand. The targeted building has six apartments, but the three injured were the only people present, he added.
In a photo presented as coming from the same location, debris is visible in the entrance to a stone building whose stairs have been heavily damaged and the grilles deformed. Blood is also visible on these same steps.
