Law enforcement continues search for suspect behind Yermolaiev assassination attempt

Surveillance footage captured an unidentified man in a black bucket hat, a black shirt, and beige pants leaving a backpack – suspected of containing an explosive device – near a building before fleeing the scene on foot, according to Monaco’s Public Security department.

Preliminary reports indicated the suspect headed to the neighboring town of Beausoleil, where investigators lost track of him.

In addition to analyzing CCTV footage, law enforcement is collecting eyewitness accounts to reconstruct the event, specifically tracking the suspect's movement to and from the scene.

Meanwhile, Prince Albert II of Monaco stated that “all relevant government services have been mobilized and are working closely with French authorities”. 

“We trust them to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy as quickly as possible, identify those responsible, and ensure that all necessary response measures are taken at all levels,” the monarch added.

Monaco explosion incident

A large explosion occurred near a residential building on the evening of June 29 between Boulevard d’Italie and Rue du Reverend Père Louis Frolla in Monaco near the border with France. 

According to French media, all three injured people were members of the same Ukrainian family. The parents, both in their 50s or 60s, suffered life-threatening injuries. A 13-year-old also was hurt and was reported to be in moderate condition.

BFMTV reported that the injured included Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev and his companion.

Two sources in business circles cited by news outlet Ukrainska Pravda confirmed that one of the people injured in the explosion was Dnipro businessman Vadym Yermolaiev.

In 2021, Forbes estimated his fortune at $220 million.

In 2019, he gave up Ukrainian citizenship after obtaining Cypriot citizenship. In 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a National Security and Defense Council decision imposing personal sanctions on Yermolaiev.