Sanctioned Ukrainian tycoon targeted in Monaco bomb attack
A parcel bombing that seriously injured a sanctioned Ukrainian property developer in Monaco has triggered an international manhunt, exposing the physical risks faced by sanctioned oligarchs living in Europe.
A Ukrainian woman has been named as the primary suspect in a parcel bombing in Monaco that left a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire, his partner and their 13-year-old son seriously injured. Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice after a package exploded in the entrance hall of an apartment building on Monday evening.
The presumed target of the attack is Vadym Yermolaiev, a 58-year-old real estate developer who renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a Cypriot national. Listed by Forbes in 2020 as Ukraine's 39th richest person with a $230m fortune, Yermolaiev has been sanctioned by Kyiv since 2023 due to his significant wine and alcohol interests in Russian-annexed Crimea. The attack highlights the continuing fallout from the Ukraine conflict reaching into wealthy European enclaves.
The bomb detonated just before 21:00 local time as the three residents entered their building. Yermolaiev and his partner were seriously wounded and transferred to the Nice University Hospital. By Wednesday, the businessman was no longer in a life-or-death situation, though his partner's condition remained unstable, while their son sustained minor injuries.
Monaco's deputy prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, said Berezovska was "disguised as a man" and had spent days surveilling the property. Wearing a dark bucket hat, she left the package on foot before collecting a hire car, driving through Italy and entering Germany.
German special forces in the state of Hesse responded on Thursday, searching a rented apartment in the Main-Taunus district and seizing a vehicle used by the suspect. "Evidence has been secured and will be handed over to the Monegasque authorities. The Hessian security authorities are supporting the Monegasque authorities in their investigations and are in close contact with them," a Hessian police statement said.
"The woman being sought is currently on the run. An international arrest warrant has been issued," the statement added. Monaco's public prosecutor, Stephane Thibault, credited swift cooperation between French and Monegasque police for the rapid identification of the suspect. Prince Albert II of Monaco has described the incident as a "heinous crime".
