A Ukrainian multimillionaire who was targeted in a ‘deliberate’ explosion in Monaco was with his London-based ‘lover’ when the bomb went off.
Vadim Ermolaev,58,who is also known as Vadym Yermolaiev,is ‘fighting for his life’ alongside his son and his ‘lover’ after an explosion in Monaco.
Anna Nasobina,46,was with Ermolaev when the bomb detonated,it has been confirmed.
Initial reports suggested Ermolaev’s wife – also named Anna – had been the one injured in the blast. But Anna Ermolaev,56,was abroad at the time when the bomb went off.
She told Suspline: ‘We are currently in a state of severe stress and are actively cooperating with the investigation and law enforcement agencies.’
Nasobina,Ermolaev’s alleged lover,describes herself as a ‘London-based’ director originally from Dnipro,Ukraine.
Ermolaev moved to Monaco after the war broke out in 2022 (Picture: X)The millionaire took up residence in Monaco after Ukraine was invaded. He was filmed for a documentary living a lavish lifestyle,driving Bentleys and spending his money on megayachts and luxury villas.This was a scandal for Ukrainians living in a warzone back home.CCTV showed what appeared to be a suspect dropping off bags shortly before the blast at around 10pm on Monday. The backpack was believed to have been full of nuts and bolts.French news outlet Le Figaro claimed the attack may have been meant more as a ‘warning’ than a deliberate murder attempt.Silvano Ippolito,who lives across from the building where the explosion happened,described seeing a little boy on the ground being seen to by other people after hearing the blast.He then called his wife,a doctor,who provided first aid to the woman.‘She intervened very quickly,before the emergency services arrived,to apply tourniquets and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,as the woman was losing consciousness,’ Ippolito said.A man came out of the building covered in blood and staggering,he said,and as he tried to go down the stairs,the staircase collapsed.The man then fell on Ippolito’s wife and a firefighter,he said.
The explosion rocked the entrance of the building in Monaco (Picture: AFP)Russia has a long history of targeting its enemies abroad,and Western intelligence officials have recently said that a campaign of targeted killings has ramped up since President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.‘It appears that the family was specifically targeted,’ said Christophe Mirmand,the minister of state for Monaco.He said the suspect ‘had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims,’ according to surveillance footage.The explosion,which is understood to be ‘deliberate’,destroyed the entrance of the Cuomo Foundation,a philanthropic organisation.It occurred after an explosive device was allegedly left in a backpack by a male suspect wearing a black hat,tracksuit,white jeans and trainers.Police said the suspect was spotted fleeing towards the border in the nearby French town of Beausoleil.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.
