An explosive device detonated on Monday injured Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Yermolayev and two other people in Monaco, in an act "carried out deliberately" and unprecedented in the principality, authorities announced.
Three people, including a minor, were injured on Monday in the explosion, which occurred at a residential building in Monaco on a street running along the border with France at around 9 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT).
A source familiar with the investigation told Agence France-Presse, requesting anonymity, that one of those injured is prominent Ukrainian businessman Vadim Yermolayev.
Monaco's Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP that the explosion appeared to be an "attack," but later stepped back from that term, describing the incident as an "explosion carried out deliberately."
Monaco's Prince Albert II described the incident as a "heinous crime" and a "shock to society as a whole."
An aide to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez indicated that police are working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled."
An AFP photographer at the scene reported a heavy security presence with a cordon blocking access to the area, while a helicopter circled overhead.
Prosecutor Stéphane Teboul said a suspect left a bag or parcel in the building's lobby before departing, adding that there is nothing so far to indicate why this particular building was targeted.
Mirmand said a couple in their 50s or 60s were injured in the explosion and are in critical condition, while a 13-year-old minor "very likely related to the couple" sustained less serious injuries, without the minister disclosing their identities.
Paramedic crews treated four other people who suffered shock and injuries from shattered window glass caused by the blast.
Mirmand said the explosive device appeared to contain screws and grapeshot (small iron pellets).
"To my knowledge, this is the first time in history that the principality has witnessed such an act," he said, noting that the prosecutor would hold a press briefing on Tuesday.
Yermolayev, who resides in Monaco, has been subject to sanctions imposed by Kyiv since December 2023 due to his business activities in the alcoholic beverages sector in Russian-occupied Crimea, according to Ukrainian security services.