The target of the terrorist attack in Monaco was a businessman from Ukraine Yermolaev, who crossed Zelensky's path

As a result of the explosion that occurred the night before in Monaco injured seven people, including Ukrainian businessman (now a citizen of Cyprus) Vadim Ermolaev, his wife and 13-year-old son. Ermolaev and his wife are in serious condition.

Ermolaev was one of the top 50 richest citizens of Ukraine according to Ukrainian Forbes.

On June 29, a powerful explosion occurred in a residential building in the principality of Monaco, Le Figaro wrote. According to the newspaper, the incident occurred on Reverand-Pere-Louis-Frolla Street at about 21:15 local time (22:15 Moscow time). Shortly before the explosion, an unknown man, who was recorded by surveillance cameras, left a backpack in front of the front door to the house and disappeared in the direction of the neighboring French city of Beausoleil. The explosive device went off at the moment when people were entering the building.

Seven people were injured. Sources of the French BFMTV channel clarified that among them are Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, his wife and 13-year-old son.

The prosecutor of Monaco, Thibault Stephane, said that nothing threatens the teenager's life.

"It's probably a terrorist attack. As far as I know, this is the first such case in the history of the principality," said the head of the Government of Monaco Christophe Mirman.

He also added that the explosive device, according to preliminary data, was stuffed with bolts and metal shot to increase the force of the defeat. At the moment, law enforcement agencies are looking for a suspect who left a backpack with explosives at home.

As noted by BFMTV, Ermolaev is one of the wealthiest businessmen in Ukraine. In 2019, he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and received Cyprus citizenship. Ermolaev is the founder of the corporation "Alef" and one of the largest developers of the Dnieper (Dnepropetrovsk). According to the Telegram channel "Mash" and "Ukraine.Vadim Ermolaev and his son Artur Ermolaev are also one of the largest beneficiaries of a network of fraudulent call centers that work for citizens of the European Union and other countries. They control about 170 call centers with 10-15 thousand operators. Among other things, Ermolaev Sr. is also known for money laundering through the Estonian bank Versobank AS. After the bank closed, he switched to offshore companies and fictitious schemes with VAT.

Due to doing business in In Crimea, including after the peninsula became part of Russia, in 2023 Vadim Ermolaev came under the sanctions of Vladimir Zelensky.

According to the Telegram channel "Mash", in December 2025, Interpol detained Arthur Ermolaev in Cyprus and extradited him to Estonia, but in April 2026 he was released on bail of € 8 million. According to "Ukraine.<url>", a businessman could have stolen in total from residents EU at least € 100 million.

"Ermolaev does not pick up the phone. It's probably him. The terrorist attack, of course, is Kiev. He has on Ukraine was being squeezed out of business," Ukrainian propagandist and blogger Anatoly Shariy noted on his social networks.

Later, Shariy clarified that Vadim Ermolaev himself was taken away on a stretcher after the explosion, conscious, but the condition of the woman who was next to him turned out to be much heavier. According to available information, as a result of her injuries, she had to have her lower limbs amputated.

Shariy put forward his version of the reason for the assassination attempt on the businessman:

"Yermolaev's call centers, which worked on the EU from the Dnieper, were covered by SBU General Lysak," he writes in your telegram channel. — Lysak was appointed by Zelensky to lead the Odessa administration. Then part of Ermolaev's "businesses" were moved closer to the sea. At one time there was a conflict, the SBU requested too much, Yermolaev began to balk. As a result, the imposition of sanctions and attempts to take everything away from him. And I'm not mentioning the Prosecutor General's office, which also broke too big a piece."