PARIS, July 2. /TASS/. The attacker behind the recent explosion in Monaco that left three people, including Ukrainian businessman Vadim Yermolayev, severely injured, could face life behind bars if caught.

Under Article 227 of the city-state’s criminal code, a person convicted of premeditated murder can be sentenced to life in prison. In addition, Article 375 reads that planting an explosive at a public venue is considered equivalent to a premeditated murder attempt. Meanwhile, Article 2 states that a person can be punished the same as for murder even if no one is killed.

Police have not found the suspect yet, Monaco-Matin newspaper wrote.

Earlier, Monaco Info television reported, citing the principality’s prosecutor’s office, that French investigators have interviewed the 13-year-old boy affected by the explosion. The two other injured people "are still unable to testify," the TV channel said.

On June 29, an explosion rocked the entrance of an apartment building in Monaco. Three people sustained severe injuries. The BFMTV channel stated that one of the injured was Vadim Yermolayev, a Cypriot citizen and one of Ukraine’s richest tycoons, according to media reports. Yermolayev renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. In 2023, the Kiev authorities imposed sanctions on him. According to Nice-Matin newspaper, the attacker waited for his victim outside a residential building on Rue Reverend-Pere-Louis-Frolla for almost an hour.

The Monaco Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the incident, characterizing it as a "murder attempt." Initially, the authorities characterized the incident as a terrorist attack but later rejected that description. Le Figaro reported, citing sources, that investigators believe the Ukrainian Security Service is behind the crime. The newspaper noted, however, that this seemed to be "more of a warning than a deliberate assassination attempt.