The motive behind Monday’s bombing attack against a Ukrainian-born millionaire in Monaco remains shrouded in mystery as residents of the super wealthy city-state grapple with their suddenly shattered sense of security.
The identity of the victims too was not immediately identified by authorities, but CNN’s French affiliate BFMTV reported that Vadym Yermolaiev was the target of the bombing on Monday evening and was injured by the blast.
Yermolaiev made his fortune in the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro during the wild post-soviet years. He was mostly focused on real estate and was, at one point, ranked among the richest Ukrainians.
Before the war, Dnipro has had the reputation of a flashy capital of wealth and luxury, where the difference between local authorities and criminal elements wasn’t always clear cut. The city is also known for its thriving Jewish community, of which Yermolaiev was a prominent and active member.
Yermolaiev has left his home country and renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019. According to publicly available documents, the 58-year old is now a citizen of Cyprus, although he was a resident of Monaco.
