The Principality of Monaco in shock after the bomb that struck Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev and his family. Investigators are reconstructing the escape of the thirty-nine-year-old linked to organised crime.
The mystery deepens and takes on the dimensions of an international intrigue that crosses three state borders. A few days after the serious attack that shook the foundations of the Principality of Monaco, details about the attacker's escape reveal a lucid plan aimed at going untraceable across half of Europe.
The woman accused of planting the explosive device in the home of Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev managed to escape: according to the reconstruction by Monegasque and French investigators, cited by the newspaper The Parisian, the woman would have fled to France immediately after the incident in the Principality, before heading to Italy by car.
Identikit and suspect's escape
The bomber has a name: Anastasia B., a 39-year-old Ukrainian citizen, already known to law enforcement for her ties to organised crime. According to investigators' reconstruction, after planting the bomb, the thirty-nine-year-old allegedly walked away, crossing the border into France to reach Beausoleil. There she boarded a car registered and rented in Germany, used for a headlong flight towards the Italian border.
The chronicle of the raid: the explosion and the injured
The Principality was gripped by panic last Monday, around 9:00 PM. A device, placed at the entrance of a building located between Boulevard d’Italie and Rue du Révérend Père Louis Frolla, close to the French border, exploded just as the Ermolaev family was crossing the threshold of their home.
The explosion hit Ukrainian multimillionaire, construction magnate and president of Alef Corporation. The businessman's wife and son were also seriously injured in the attack.
Ermolaev is considered a “VIP refugee” in Monaco, having settled in the Principality since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. However, his profile is controversial: several sources and media outlets, citing Kiev's security services, report that the oligarch had come under sanctions due to his decision to continue operating businesses related to the alcohol trade in Crimea, a territory under Russian occupation. This angle, of political revenge or an internal feud, remains under investigation.
Prince Albert II's words
An unprecedented event for Monaco, traditionally considered an impregnable fortress and an oasis of maximum security. Prince Albert II spoke out harshly on the matter through an official statement to reassure citizens and condemn the action:
«A heinous crime, a shock to the entire Monegasque community. The Principality of Monaco will remain united and determined in the face of violence and crime. The safety of our community has always been a priority; it will remain so more than ever, whatever the threats.
While the authorities in Monte Carlo have opened an investigation file with extremely serious charges of attempted murder and the placement of an explosive device in a public street, international cooperation with the French and Italian police is at the highest level to intercept Anastasia B.'s car before she can permanently disappear without a trace.
