The bombing has shaken Monaco, a typically safe microstate close to Nice in southern France, known as a haven for the globe’s wealthiest individuals.
European authorities were searching on Friday for a Ukrainian woman suspected of detonating a bomb in Monaco that injured three individuals, including a Ukrainian-born billionaire and his teenage son.
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Identified as Anastasiia Berezovska, aged 39, the suspect is wanted in Monaco on charges including attempted murder, placement of an explosive device on a public street with criminal intent, and conspiracy related to the Monday explosion, as reported by an Interpol Red Notice.
German police revealed that they conducted a search of her leased apartment near the western city of Frankfurt on Thursday.
«The woman sought is still at large,» officials stated, adding that the gathered evidence would be transferred to Monaco authorities.
Following the blast, she reportedly walked to Beausoleil, a nearby French town, retrieved her rental car, and then drove through Italy to Germany, her latest known residence, Morgan Raymond, Monaco’s deputy public prosecutor, informed the press.
«The complexity of the bomb and the method used suggest that the individual responsible likely did not act independently,» the prosecutor remarked, confirming that the suspect was «a woman disguised as a man.»
Eric Arella, Monaco’s police chief, explained that the identification of the suspect in just 53 hours was due to «an extraordinary mobilization by Monaco’s public security forces,» highlighting cooperation with countries like France.
Officials in Ukraine confirmed they had launched an investigation since the woman and the child hold Ukrainian citizenship.
The bombing has deeply unsettled Monaco, a microstate usually considered safe, located near Nice in southern France, which serves as a playground for some of the world’s wealthiest people. Prince Albert II condemned the attack as a «vile crime.»
Tattoo on right arm
Though victims’ identities have not been officially disclosed, multiple sources report that the assault targeted Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, a prosperous businessman originally from Ukraine and currently a Cypriot citizen, along with his partner and their 13-year-old son.
On Monday night, a package was left in the lobby of an apartment complex close to the French border.
Soon after, an explosive device detonated in the entrance just as three residents—a couple and a child—were entering.
The suspect, captured on CCTV wearing a black fisherman’s hat, was initially assumed to be male.
However, a review of surveillance footage alongside testimony from someone who encountered the suspect shifted investigators’ focus to a woman who reportedly made several reconnaissance trips in the days leading up to the blast, Raymond explained.
On the night of the incident, she apparently waited on a bench before placing an explosive device, taken from a shopping bag, at the building’s entrance.
At 8:58 pm, she remotely detonated it as the three individuals returned from dinner.
Interpol released two photos of the suspect, showing a woman with dark, shoulder-length hair.
The notice notes the woman has a tattoo on her right arm, «possibly depicting a snake,» and that she speaks German.
Life in danger
The couple suffered particularly severe injuries.
A source initially reported that the man sustained serious burns and the woman remained in critical condition.
The child was admitted in stable condition to a children’s hospital in Nice, whereas the two adults were taken to Nice University Hospital.
Yermolaiev’s condition has stabilized, but as of Friday, his partner’s life was still at risk.
A Monaco resident since at least 2021, Yermolaiev has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since December 2023 over his business interests in Crimea, following its annexation by Russia.
The Ukrainian edition of Forbes magazine estimated his wealth at $220 million (€192 million) in 2021, ranking him as the country’s 45th richest individual.
A source told AFP that many would have sought to assassinate the construction magnate in Dnipro, the industrial Ukrainian city where he amassed his fortune.
His 35-year-old son, Artur Yermolaiev, is believed to have also amassed numerous adversaries.
Earlier this year, he was convicted of fraud in Estonia after admitting guilt in operating a fraudulent investment phone scheme from Ukraine, which defrauded around €100 million.
Additional sources • AFP