Ukrainian authorities have released a video recording that captures the moment a bomb exploded outside the Monaco residence of businessman Vadim Ermolaev on 29 June, injuring him, his partner and their teenage son. The footage, made public by the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, was recovered by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) after the perpetrators attempted to destroy it, officials said.

The 40-second clip shows a figure placing a bag near the entrance of a building, then walking away. Seconds later, as Ermolaev, his partner Anna Nasobina and their 13-year-old son approach the door, a powerful blast tears through the entrance. The camera, which investigators say was installed by the attackers to confirm the hit, is knocked over before being righted and removed. All three victims survived but remain hospitalised. Medical sources report that Nasobina, 46, suffered severe leg injuries requiring amputation, while the child sustained burns and fractures. Ermolaev, 58, is in intensive care and has described the explosion as “not a warning” but “an attempt to kill me and my family.”

Three suspects have been identified. A 39-year-old Ukrainian woman, Anastasia Berezovskaya, whom authorities believe placed the device, was found shot dead in Ukraine after the attack. Two other individuals—a former police officer and a current employee of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate (GUR)—have been arrested, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor general. Monaco’s chief prosecutor, Stéphane Thibault, has said all hypotheses remain open and that the incident is not currently classified as a terrorist act.

In Kyiv, former officials have levelled unsubstantiated accusations. Andriy Telizhenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky personally ordered the assassination, calling it a “direct order to eliminate” a perceived enemy. Separately, ex-prime minister Mykola Azarov linked the attack to a power struggle between Zelensky and former armed forces chief Valeriy Zaluzhny, alleging Ermolaev planned to expose financial misconduct in the European Parliament. No judicial body has corroborated these assertions.

Ermolaev, a Cypriot national originally from Dnipro, was under investigation in Ukraine for money laundering and for maintaining business ties in Russian-annexed Crimea, and had been sanctioned by Kyiv. He has written to the authorities of Monaco, France and Ukraine, as well as to international organisations, accusing the GUR of orchestrating the attack and requesting protection for his family. The investigation, led jointly by Monegasque and Ukrainian agencies, continues.