Ukrainian oligarch was blown up in Monaco, - media (updated)
On the evening of 29 June, a powerful explosion occurred in Monaco near a residential building on the border with France, injuring three members of a Ukrainian family.
According to Censor.NET, this is reported in an article in Le Figaro.
Explosion near a building and the injured Ukrainians
According to law enforcement authorities, the incident took place at around 9.00 pm on Rue du Père Louis Froll. A spokesperson for the Monegasque government stated that the explosion was caused by a "malicious act".
Of the three injured Ukrainians, both parents are in a critical condition. One minor is in a moderately serious condition.
The suspect left a rucksack and fled
CCTV cameras captured an unidentified man leaving a rucksack near the entrance to a residential building immediately before the explosion. He then fled on foot towards the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil.
The bomb detonated just as other people were entering the building. It is not yet known whether they were the intended targets of the attack.
Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, has confirmed that three people have been hospitalised. Bomb disposal experts and forensic pathologists are working at the scene.
Update
According to Nice Matin and BFMTV, the explosion occurred at around 9.00 pm in the lobby of a block of flats on Rue Réverin-Per-Louis-Folla. It has been provisionally established that an unknown man left a bag or rucksack containing explosives inside the building before fleeing. The explosion occurred almost immediately after people entered the lobby.
Emergency services were alerted at around 9.15 pm. Five vehicles and around 15 rescue workers were dispatched to the scene.
According to media reports, three people were injured; they are members of the same family and hold Ukrainian citizenship. A man and a woman aged between 50 and 60 were admitted to the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, whilst the teenager was taken to the Lenval Hospital.
Le Figaro later reported that one of the parents may be a Ukrainian oligarch, although the name has not been disclosed. Both adults are in a critical condition, whilst the 13-year-old boy is in a stable condition.
Monaco’s Head of Government, Christophe Mirman, suggested that the incident may bear the hallmarks of a terrorist attack. According to him, the explosive device was likely filled with bolts and shot.
"The police are currently gathering evidence. As far as I am aware, this is the first time in history that something like this has happened in the principality," he said.
According to two sources from ‘Ukrainska Pravda’ in business circles, one of the victims of the explosion is Dnipro-based businessman Vadym Yermolaev.
