Monaco bomb victim has ‘legs amputated’ as Ukrainian oligarch and wife ‘fight for life’

The victims of the horror bomb attack in Monaco are reportedly a Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev and his wife, who are reportedly “fighting for their lives”

French special forces were today providing round-the-clock protection to a billionaire Ukrainian oligarch who was blown up alongside members of his family in a bomb attack in Monaco.

Vadim Ermolaev, 58, and his dentist wife, Anna, were on Tuesday (June 30) ‘fighting for their lives’ while surrounded by armed officers. Reports suggest his wife suffered injuries to her limbs that have led to amputations.

They reportedly suffered multiple shrapnel wounds on Monday evening (June 29) after a backpack full of nuts and bolts exploded in the foyer of their apartment block in Place des Moulins.

The incident at around 9pm local time saw three people injured after a “parcel bomb” was left with the suspect still at large.

Images of the man who targeted them at the iconic Sun Palace flats were captured on CCTV and he is still at large, and described by a police source as “armed and dangerous”.

Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s Secretary of State, said: “It was noted that the man had driven around the area several times before the bomb blast, allowing him to lie in wait for the victims.

“This clearly indicates that he was likely conducting surveillance.”

Ms Ermolaev is said to be the most badly hurt, and has “had limbs including her legs amputated in the past few hours”, according to another source in France.

A third victim has been identified as the couple’s 13-year-old son, David Ermolaev, whose condition was said to be “stable”. According to a source to Le Figaro, the child had been 15 meters by the force of the explosion.

Four other people were treated by emergency services for shock and cuts from shattered windows.

Ermolaev and his wife have been transported to secure rooms at the Pasteur Hospital in the French city of Nice, some 12 miles from the blast zone.

An Interior Ministry source in Paris said the French RAID, which stands for ‘Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence’, was surrounding them. The elite tactical police unit mainly deals with high-profile counter-terrorism cases, and the protection of VIPs.

Ermolaev, who made his fortune in commerce following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has reportedly made a huge number of enemies since fleeing his native Ukraine around a decade ago.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy authorised sanctions against him in December 2023 because his drinks business in the occupied Crimea was still doing business with the enemy.

He produces a ‘geographically protected Crimean wine for the Russians’, which is still sold in Europe and the United States, said an investigating source.

Ermolaev is also a co-owner of Versobank, an Estonian bank which had its licence suspended by the European Central Bank in March 2018 for the ‘systematic violation of anti-money laundering legislation.’

Ermolaev’s eldest son, 36-year-old Artur Ermolaev, was arrested by police in Cyprus at the end of 2025, following claims that both he and his father were making millions from fraudulent call centres targeting EU citizens.

Both Ermolaevs deny any wrongdoing, saying all of their business activities are above board.

Ermolaev has stated that the Ukrainian tax system is “very unfair” and this prompted him to take Cypriot nationality in 2019.

An aide to France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said police were working ‘to find the perpetrator, who has fled’.

Officials described the blast as a “violent detonation linked to a parcel bomb”. No motive has been given by police but it is believed the attack was targeted.

Mirmand said witnesses had come forward with information that helped identify a man who may match the suspect’s description. He added: “We hope to identify the perpetrator and apprehend him quickly”.

Prince Albert has spoken out about the shocking incident in the city as he called it a “heinous act”.

The statement read: “The criminal explosion that occurred this evening in Monaco is a shock for the entire Monegasque community.

“My thoughts go first to the victims, their loved ones and the residents directly affected by this heinous act. Princess Charlene, my family and I wish to express our deepest compassion and unwavering support to them.

“We also wish to salute the remarkable work of the Public Security forces, who are handling the situation with rigor and serenity, and who have enabled the rapid treatment of the victims and the securing of the area.

“Under the authority of the Government, all relevant State services are currently mobilized, in close cooperation with the French authorities. We trust them to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy as quickly as possible, to identify those responsible, and to provide all the necessary responses at every level.

“More than ever, the Principality of Monaco will remain united and determined in the face of violence and crime. The security of our community has always been a priority and will remain so more than ever, whatever the threats may be.”

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