MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. The attack on businessman Vadim Yermolayev, who was injured in an explosion in Monaco and was ranked among the top 50 wealthiest citizens of Ukraine, may have been organized by members of the criminal world, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported, citing law enforcement sources.
According to the publication, the attack may have been linked to fraudulent call centers in Dnepr. The publication did not provide any further details.
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. According to the country’s Minister of State (head of government) Christophe Mirmand, Monaco has never seen an attack like this. According to the investigation, an unidentified man left a backpack at the building’s entrance; when the family members opened the door, an explosion was triggered. 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.
For its part, the Estonian newspaper Postimees noted that Yermolayev is the father of Artur Yermolayev, who organized a large-scale telephone fraud network in Estonia that caused more than 100 million euros in damages. According to the publication, Yermolayev Jr. served more than four months in an Estonian prison before being deported.