Arabic version: إطلاق عملية مطاردة بعد انفجار قنبلة أصابت رجل أعمال أوكراني

A manhunt is currently underway in southern France after a parcel bomb exploded at a residential building in Monaco, severely injuring a wealthy Ukrainian businessman and two others. According to BBC News, the explosion occurred shortly before 21:00 local time at an apartment building on Rue Révérend Père Louis Frolla, close to the French border.

The injured include Vadym Yermolaiev, a 58-year-old real estate developer from Dnipro, Ukraine, who is currently a Cypriot citizen. Two of the victims are reported to be in critical condition, with one woman suffering the most severe injuries. Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, confirmed that the blast was caused by a parcel bomb containing bolts and pellets.

Authorities are searching for a single suspect, who was seen fleeing towards the French commune of Beausoleil. Video surveillance captured a man dropping a backpack in the building’s lobby shortly before the explosion. The incident has not been classified as a terrorist attack.

Monaco’s Minister of State, Christophe Mirmand, stated that the suspect appears to have left for France. Emergency services responded promptly, with over 100 personnel deployed to the scene. Witnesses reported hearing an “unbelievably loud explosion” and seeing injured individuals being assisted by emergency responders.

This incident marks a troubling first for Monaco, with Prince Albert II labeling it a “heinous crime” that has shocked the community. Yermolaiev, who has significant business interests in Crimea, has been under sanctions imposed by the Ukrainian government since 2023. He was previously recognized as one of Ukraine’s wealthiest individuals by Forbes magazine.