Monaco Bombing Blast: High-Stakes Assassination Attempt Leaves Ukrainian Oligarch Fighting for His Life, Mistress Legless

The bomb attack on 58-year-old Ukrainian multi-millionaire Vadim Ermolaev in Monaco was a meticulously planned hit orchestrated by an insider within his inner circle, Daily Mail reports, citing security service sources.

The incident unfolded on Monday at around 9:00 PM. An unattended backpack packed with nuts and bolts detonated at the entrance of the ultra-exclusive Sun Palace residential complex in the heart of the principality. The tycoon sustained multiple shrapnel wounds and is currently fighting for his life in a hospital.

Mistress Loses Both Legs in Carnage

Initial reports suggested that the blast injured Ermolaev's 56-year-old wife, Anna—with whom he shares four children and a high-security family villa nearby in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. However, investigators have since discovered that the magnate was actually returning home with his long-time mistress, 46-year-old Anna Nasobina.

The powerful explosion ripped through Nasobina, severing both of her legs. Doctors were forced to amputate her limbs, and she remains in critical condition in intensive care. The couple’s 13-year-old son was also present; the force of the blast threw the teenager nearly 15 meters (50 feet). He has been hospitalized.

Nasobina, originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, is the daughter of a former first deputy prosecutor of the Dnipropetrovsk region. In recent years, she reinvented herself as a London-based businesswoman, co-founding Club Eclectique—an exclusive art club that hosted high-society events in London and Monaco featuring prominent Russian artists.

The Investigation: Hitman in a Bucket Hat

The Monaco Prosecutor's Office is treating the case as an attempted murder rather than an act of terrorism. Police are executing a massive manhunt for the perpetrator, whose description—including a distinctive bucket hat—was captured on CCTV.

While investigators are exploring several leads, a criminal vendetta is currently the priority theory.

• The Scam Call Center Link: According to Ukrainian police, Ermolaev may have been targeted due to a conflict surrounding a massive network of fraudulent call centers in Dnipro, which defrauded European victims out of an estimated €100 million.

• Underworld Turf War: Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reports that the hit is directly linked to a redistribution of criminal turf and unpaid debts to Dnipro underworld bosses.

Booze, Sanctions, and Secrets: Who Is Vadim Ermolaev?

Vadim Ermolaev built his fortune in the lawless 1990s, primarily through the alcohol trade. In 2021, Forbes estimated his net worth at $225 million, ranking him 45th among the richest Ukrainians.

However, the oligarch's biography is riddled with controversy:

• Citizenship Swap: In 2019, he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship after securing a Cypriot passport.

• Monaco Exile: In 2021, he relocated permanently to Monaco.

• Zelensky Sanctions: In December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed personal sanctions on Ermolaev. Kyiv accused him of maintaining a winery business in occupied Crimea that operated under Russian law and paid millions in taxes to Moscow. Ermolaev vehemently denied any ongoing ties to Russia.

The Political Twist: An SBU Hit?

Beyond the criminal underworld angle, police are also vetting a political motive. French media reported that Ermolaev was preparing to deliver a high-level report on systemic corruption in Ukraine to the European Parliament.

Consequently, investigators are not ruling out the involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Some security experts suggest the nature of the shrapnel-loaded bomb may have been intended as a brutal "final warning" to the oligarch before he could speak out.