A search is underway for the suspect who fled the scene after an explosive device placed at the entrance to a residential building injured three people, authorities say.
Posted June 30, 2026
Monaco authorities say they have at this point ruled out “terrorism” as a motive for an explosion that left three people injured.
The powerful explosion occurred Monday afternoon at the entrance to a residential building, after a man apparently left a package there.
Prosecutor Stéphane Thibault told reporters Tuesday that the suspect who fled on foot acted alone and remained at large.
Security camera footage showed the suspect walking down the street wearing a black jacket, light-colored pants, white shoes and a black hat that partially obscured his face.
Police have opened an attempted murder investigation but are not classifying it as a “terrorism” investigation, Thibault said, adding that the motive is still unclear.
'Caught in the explosion'
One of the three injured is a woman who is in danger of death, while her partner and a 13-year-old boy suffered less serious injuries but remain in hospital. Thibault did not provide their identities.
Media reports identified Ukrainian construction magnate Vadym Yermolaev among the injured. The Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda said it was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 over alleged ties to Russia.
The three victims were “apparently returning home peacefully” in the early afternoon, according to surveillance footage, Christophe Mirmand, Monaco's minister of state, told French news station LCI.
“They were caught in the explosion as they crossed the threshold of their apartment building,” he said.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with authorities in Monaco and said the explosion injured three people of Ukrainian descent, who are members of the same family. He did not name them, but said Ukrainian authorities are verifying their citizenship.
Yermolaiev, a Monaco-based billionaire, has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since December 2023, which Ukrainian security services say stem from his alcohol business in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Monaco is a microstate with a population of 38,000 people, where many ultra-rich people reside. It is considered one of the safest places in the world, with an extensive surveillance network of thousands of security cameras covering most public spaces.
