A woman who was injured along with her teenage son and a Ukrainian oligarch in a bomb attack in Monaco is fighting for her life after losing both legs. 

Previous reports suggested that the injured woman was the wife of oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, who suffered multiple shrapnel wounds on Monday evening after a backpack full of nuts and bolts exploded in the foyer of an apartment block. 

But Ukrainian media reported today that the woman with Yermolaiev at the time of the attack was not his wife, Anna.

According to reports, Anna was in another location at the time of the attack. Speaking to Ukrainian media, she said:  'We are currently in a state of severe stress and are actively cooperating with the investigation and law enforcement agencies.'

Citing a source close to the case, French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the 13-year-old was thrown nearly 50ft by the force of the explosion, and his mother may have become injured while trying to protect him. 

The woman is now being treated at a hospital in Nice, Christophe Mirmand, the minister of state for Monaco, told French news broadcaster LCI on Tuesday. 

He did not comment on the seriousness of her injuries, but a source in France said she had had her limbs, including her legs, amputated.  

Yermolaiev and the child suffered less severe injuries but remain in the hospital, Mirmand added.

Images of the man who targeted them at the iconic Sun Palace flats were captured on CCTV, and he is still at large, and described by a police source as 'armed and dangerous'.

Mirmand said: 'It was noted that the man had driven around the area several times before the bomb blast, allowing him to lie in wait for the victims.

'This clearly indicates that he was likely conducting surveillance.'

An Interior Ministry source in Paris said the French RAID, which stands for 'Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence', was surrounding them.

The elite tactical police unit mainly deals with high-profile counter-terrorism cases and the protection of VIPs.

The explosion occurred around 9pm on Monday at the entrance of a residence near the French border.

The three victims were 'apparently returning home peacefully' in the early evening, according to surveillance footage, Mirmand said. 

'They were caught in the explosion as they crossed the threshold of their apartment building,' he said.

The attack has shocked the elite principality on the Mediterranean Coast. Monaco's Prince Albert II described it as 'an odious act' and said all the country's services were mobilised to ensure security. 

Yermolaiev, who made his fortune in commerce following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has made a huge number of enemies since fleeing his native Ukraine around a decade ago.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky authorised sanctions against him in December 2023 because his drinks business in the occupied Crimea was still doing business with Russia. 

He produces a 'geographically protected Crimean wine for the Russians', which is still sold in Europe and the United States, said an investigating source.

Yermolaiev was originally a real estate developer in his home city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, where he set up his hugely successful Alef Group.

In recent years, the family has been living in luxury in Monaco, where they have had a very high profile.

Yermolaiev was known for parking his Ukrainian-registered Bentley outside the Monte Carlo Casino.

He also owned a super yacht flying the Ukrainian flag and owned a high-security villa in nearby Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

Yermolaiev has stated that the Ukrainian tax system is 'very unfair', and this prompted him to take Cypriot nationality in 2019.

An aide to France's Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said police were working 'to find the perpetrator, who has fled'.

Monaco is a globally famous tax haven on the French Riviera, full of high-net-worth residents.

It prides itself on its crime-free reputation and attracts billionaire businesspeople and celebrities from all over the world.

But there have been numerous corruption scandals on the so-called Rock in recent years, including allegations of money laundering by mafia-style gangs, including ones from Ukraine.

Prince Albert, the ruler of Monaco, has pledged to clamp down on corruption, with the help of the French authorities.

Despite Monaco's independence, its defence is primarily the responsibility of the government in Paris.

Following the bomb blast, Prince Albert described the atrocity as 'obnoxious', adding: 'The Principality of Monaco will remain united and determined in the face of violence and crime. The safety of our community has always been a priority – it will remain so more than ever, whatever the threats.'