Monaco explosion injures 3 including Ukrainian tycoon as suspect flees to France

Blast at a Monaco residence

An explosion at the entrance of a residential building in Monaco injured three people on June 29 and set off a cross-border manhunt after the suspect fled on foot into France, prosecutors and local officials said.

The blast happened around 9 p.m. local time in the wealthy principality on the French Riviera, where violent attacks are rare. Monaco authorities said the case is being investigated as attempted murder, not terrorism, at this stage.

One woman was reported in life-threatening condition, while a man and a 13-year-old child suffered less serious injuries. Officials said the injured were from the same family and that the building was near the border with France.

What investigators say happened

According to reports cited by investigators, surveillance footage showed a suspect arriving at the building, leaving a bag or backpack near the entrance and running away immediately before the explosion.

Authorities said the suspect acted alone and headed toward Beausoleil, the French town just across the border from Monaco. That escape route quickly turned the case into a cross-border search involving French police as well as Monaco authorities.

Some outlets described the device as a parcel bomb or backpack bomb containing bolts and buckshot or other shrapnel. Officials have not publicly settled on a final description of the device.

Possible target and official response

The blast has been widely described as a possible targeted attack on a resident family. Prince Albert II condemned the incident, and Monaco officials called it unprecedented in the principality.

Several reports identified one of the injured adults as Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, also described as a Ukrainian-born tycoon. But Monaco prosecutors have not formally confirmed that identification, so it remains a media-reported detail rather than an official one.

Reports also say the family had been returning home when the blast occurred. That has added to suspicion that the attack was aimed at a specific resident rather than being a random act of violence.

What remains unknown

Investigators still need to identify and arrest the suspect, establish the exact motive and determine the precise device used. Officials may also update the condition of the injured adults and child as the case develops.

The legal classification could also evolve if police and prosecutors uncover more about the target and the attack. For now, Monaco authorities say the probe remains focused on attempted murder, with no terrorism designation.

The case has drawn attention because of Monaco's tightly secured reputation and its location on the French border. That geography shaped both the suspect's escape route and the immediate international response.