Ukrainian MFA verifying citizenship of businessman injured in Monaco explosion

MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Embassy in France, responsible for relations with Monaco, is verifying information regarding whether the family of "Ukrainian origin" affected by the recent explosion has Ukrainian citizenship, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

"According to local emergency services, three people - members of a family of Ukrainian origin - were injured in the explosion. The victims are being identified through official channels, and information regarding their Ukrainian citizenship is being verified," the NV publication quoted the statement as saying.

On June 29, media outlets reported an explosion at the entrance of a residential building in Monaco at 9 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT). Three victims are in serious condition; all are members of the same family. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosive device was filled with bolts and metal pellets.

The BFMTV channel states that one of the victims of the explosion is Vadim Yermolayev, a Cypriot citizen whom Ukrainian media had included on a list of the wealthiest Ukrainian businesspeople. Yermolayev renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. In 2023, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against him. Yermolayev is a subject of a Ukrainska Pravda investigation into Ukrainian businesspeople, politicians, and oligarchs who settled on the French Riviera during the military conflict. Yermolayev is also known to have renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and obtained a Cypriot passport.