Vadym Iermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born businessman who acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2019, was seriously injured in a powerful explosion at a residential building in Monaco, which authorities are treating as a terrorist attack.
According to Britain’s Telegraph, the 58-year-old businessman was seriously injured, while his partner suffered severe amputations to her lower limbs. A 13-year-old child was also injured alongside them and, according to local prosecutorial authorities, is probably a family member. All three were taken to hospitals in Nice, around 20km from Monaco.
The explosion occurred at around 9pm local time (10pm Cyprus time) at a property in the small Mediterranean state, which is generally considered particularly safe, near the border with France. Monaco’s Prince Albert II described it as a “heinous crime” in a statement, saying the principality would remain “united and determined in the face of violence and crime,” and that the safety of the community had always been a priority and would remain so “more than ever, whatever the threats.”
According to Monaco’s chief prosecutor, Stéphane Thiébaut, the explosive device contained metal bolts and pellets and was placed inside a bag or parcel left at the entrance of a property, before the suspect fled on foot towards the Beausoleil area of France. Around 50 firefighters, including more than ten who travelled to Monaco from France, were mobilised to assist the victims, while around 84 security personnel arrived at the scene. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police forces from both countries were cooperating to track down the fugitive suspect.
Who is Vadym Hermolaev
Hermolaev is considered to hold Ukraine’s 23rd-largest fortune, built mainly through the real estate sector. In 2001 he founded Alef Estate, a company developing office buildings, shopping centres and residential properties in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s most significant cities.
He relocated to Monaco after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, having already acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2019, renouncing his Ukrainian citizenship in the process.
Hermolaev has faced sanctions since December 2023 under a decision by Ukraine’s national security council, ratified by President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to media citing sources in Ukraine’s security and intelligence services, the sanctions against the multimillionaire were imposed because he continued business dealings, despite the war, with Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia since 2014, specifically alcohol sales. The sanctions include asset freezes and restrictions on his commercial activities within Ukraine.
Major operation to capture the attacker
According to residents’ accounts, the explosion was so powerful that it was initially thought to be a gas leak. Moments later, the scale of the tragedy became clear, with injured people lying bloodied at the building’s entrance. Besides the three victims, four further people were taken to Princess Grace Hospital as a precaution with minor injuries or symptoms of shock.
An AFP photojournalist observed a large deployment of security forces, who cordoned off the area where the explosion occurred, and saw a helicopter flying over the district.
French and Monegasque authorities continue their investigation, examining both the motives for the attack and Hermolaev’s business and personal circles, in order to establish whether the attack is linked to his business or political activities.
(information from protothema.gr)