Ukrainian millionaire, partner and son injured in France after makeshift bomb explosion

A Ukrainian businessman, his partner, and their teen son were injured after a man detonated a makeshift ‌bomb in Monaco on Monday, June 29.

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An explosive device full of bolts and buckshot detonated shortly before 9 p.m. local time after video surveillance images captured a man dropping a backpack at the entrance of a residential building, according to French media outlets.

Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was hurt in the explosion, a source close to the investigation told AFP, per France24. 

Yermolaiev’s partner and 13-year-old son were also wounded, Monaco Daily News reported. 

Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand told AFP that the “deliberate explosion” left the couple in their 50s and 60s in life-threatening condition. The teen suffered less serious injuries. Officials have not yet disclosed their identities.

“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” Mirmand said.

Emergency responders treated four others for shock and cuts after windows shattered in the chaotic blast along the border of France, France24 reported.

Yermolaiev is a multi-millionaire living in Monaco who had sanctions slapped on him by Kyiv beginning in December 2023 — reportedly stemming from his alcohol business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea, the outlet said.

The motive for the attack is not yet known.

Eric ‌Ciotti, the right-wing mayor of nearby Nice, wrote on X that “the attack committed this evening is a tragedy for Monaco.” “Thoughts for the victims, their families, and the people of Monaco. Total support for the security forces and emergency services mobilized,” he added.