EuropeJune 30, 2026 12:48 am • 2 min readA police officer stands guard next to a police car after setting up a security perimeter on a street following an explosion that occurred in a residential building in Monaco, near the border with France on June 29, 2026. (Valery Hache / AFP via Getty Images)Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. A major explosion in an apartment building in Monaco injured three victims, all members of the same Ukrainian family, regional media reported on June 29, citing police sources. The blast took place at around 9 p.m. local time, at a residential building along the border with France. The victims are two parents (ages 50-60) and a 13-year-old girl, police told the French news outlet Le Figaro. The parents are both in critical condition while the child is reportedly stable after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Christophe Mirmand, Monaco's Minister of State, told Agence-France Presse that the explosion was "likely a terrorist attack." Mirmand confirmed that two parents and a child were injured but did not disclose the nationality or identity of the victims. According to Le Figaro's sources, one of the victims may be a Ukrainian oligarch. The Kyiv Independent cannot confirm these reports at the time of publication. Mirmand said preliminary information indicates the explosive device was filled with bolts and metal shot to increase the force of the blast. Monaco's Prosecutor General, Stephane Thibault, said an individual was seen leaving a bag or package in the lobby of the building before fleeing the scene. According to Thibault, there is not yet evidence as to why this specific building may have been targeted. The French Riviera became a popular destination for wealthy Ukrainian families following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine's richest man, billionaire and oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, purchased a luxury apartment in Monaco valued at 471 million euros ($554 million) in 2024.The Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda dubbed this group the "Monaco Battalion" in video investigation published in August 2022.