Manhunt in Monaco after bomb attack wounds Ukrainian tycoon with ties to Russia

A Ukrainian-born tycoon, Vadym Iermolaiev, his wife, and their 13-year-old child were injured in a parcel bomb explosion at their Monaco residence on Monday evening. The blast, which seriously wounded Iermolaiev's wife, has prompted a major international manhunt for the perpetrator who fled towards the French border. Authorities in Monaco are treating the incident as an attempted assassination in the normally secure principality.

Monaco's public prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, stated that a suspect was captured on CCTV leaving an explosive package in the apartment building's lobby shortly before the victims arrived, with the device reportedly containing bolts and buckshot. The perpetrator was then seen fleeing into neighboring France, leading to a coordinated search effort between Monegasque and French authorities.

While the motive remains unclear, reports indicate that Iermolaiev, a real estate magnate who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019, had been sanctioned by Ukraine in 2023 over alleged business ties to Russian-occupied Crimea. Monaco officials have described the attack as unprecedented and specifically targeted at the family, shocking the wealthy Mediterranean enclave.