MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities and security forces could have taken part in the struggle for control over Dnepropetrovsk’s assets of businessman Vadim Yermolayev, which led to an assassination attempt on him in Monaco, Strana newspaper said.

The publication names two main versions of the assassination attempt. The businessman-emigre owns Alef Estate, the largest construction company in Dnepropetrovsk, as well as enterprises for the production of building materials, agricultural products, and wine and vodka products in Ukraine. In 2021, the Ukrainian Forbes estimated his fortune at $220 million. However, in 2023, Kiev imposed sanctions against Yermolayev for allegedly having business ties with Russia. After that, the businessman tried to withdraw his enterprises from the restrictions, re-registering them for other persons.

"In such a situation, conflicts over property rights are indeed possible, in which representatives of the government and law enforcement agencies could actively participate," the newspaper said.

According to another version, Yermolayev could have been involved in the activities of a network of call centers in Dnepropetrovsk, a city that the Ukrainian media call the "capital" of telephone fraudsters. His eldest son, Artur, the former president of the Ukrainian Esports Federation, allegedly controlled a network of such centers called Cosmo, which for years deceived not only Russian citizens, but also EU residents. Vadim Yermolayev, as the publication indicates, was the beneficiary of the office space where these call centers were located.

In May, Artur Yermolayev was convicted in Estonia as part of an investigation into their work, but received a suspended sentence thanks to a deal with the investigation.

The activities of Dnepropetrovsk call centers in the Ukrainian media were also linked to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, namely the SBU. In February, Ukrainian businessman Igor Komarov, son of crime boss Sergey Komarov, was abducted and killed in Bali. In a video that appeared online shortly after the abduction, Komarov claimed that he controlled a network of fraudulent call centers in Dnepropetrovsk, and his work was supervised by the SBU.

On June 29, an explosion hit in the entrance of an apartment building in Monaco at 09:00 p.m. local time (07:00 p.m. GMT). Three victims are in serious condition, all members of the same family. According to the country's Minister of State (head of government) Christophe Mirmand, the incident is the first case of a terrorist attack in the history of Monaco. According to the investigation, an unidentified man left a backpack at the door of the house. When the family members opened the door, an explosion struck. According to preliminary data, the explosive device was filled with bolts and metal pellets.