The mistress of a Ukrainian oligarch lost both her legs in a bombing in Monaco that deliberately targeted her boyfriend and their teenage son, an explosive new report has revealed.

Anna Nasobin, 46, suffered the loss of both legs earlier this week after an explosive device was detonated in the lobby of their Monaco apartment block. Earlier reports had incorrectly identified the wife of Vadim Ermolaev, 58, Anna Ermolaev, as the individual left in a critical condition following Monday night’s attack.

The oligarch and his 13-year-old son, whom he reportedly shares with his mistress, were also caught up in the blast, though both were said to be in a stable condition. Anna Ermolaev was not present in the apartment at the time of the explosion, according to local Ukrainian outlets and bloggers.

“During the explosion with Ermolaev, it was not his wife,” Ukrainian political blogger Anatoly Shariy wrote. “It was this woman who lost her legs and is on the brink of life and death.

“Ermolaev was with his mistress, Anna Nasobina. She has been with him for a long time. They have a common child of 13 years,” he added.

Anna Ermolaev subsequently released a statement confirming her family was under “severe stress.”

However, she did not directly comment on reports that her husband’s wife, not her, had been injured in the attack.

“We are currently in a state of severe stress and are actively cooperating with the investigation and law enforcement agencies,” Anna Ermolaev told Ukrainian state media outlet Suspline. Nasobina has previously been referred to as Ermolaev’s “common law wife.”

Originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, she currently serves as director of British company Wycombe Square Investments LLP and is based in London.

She is also the co-founder of Club Eclectique, a private literary and arts society headquartered in the UK with an additional office in Monaco. The club’s gatherings are frequently attended by Russian entertainers with pro-Kremlin affiliations, along with members of the Russian diaspora residing in London, according to the Daily Mail.

As authorities launch a manhunt for the bomber, Ukrainian police believe the attack may be connected to Ermolaev’s alleged involvement in a fraudulent call centre scheme worth in excess of $113 million.

According to Ukrainian publication Ukrainska Pravda, the attack — regarded as a warning shot rather than a full-blown assassination attempt — arose from a collapsed agreement over territorial divisions and outstanding debts allegedly owed to criminal figures in Ukraine.

Monaco police launched an attempted murder inquiry following Monday evening’s incident, in which a suspect planted an explosive device in the entrance hall of the oligarch’s apartment in the Mediterranean principality. Ermolaev and his mistress were transported to secure rooms at the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, France, approximately 12 miles from where the incident took place.

Ukrainsky Pravda reported that Vadim was subjected to Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 due to his drinks company in occupied Crimea having connections to Russia.

Photographs from the scene show shattered glass and bomb disposal personnel outside the couple’s apartment block. Additional images depict Monaco’s emergency services, including police and ambulance teams, attending the location near the blast.

Officials said the suspect in Monday’s attack departed immediately following the explosion on foot, utilising stairs to escape through a narrow street to the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil. An image obtained from CCTV cameras and released by French media revealed the suspect in a street wearing a black jacket, light-coloured trousers, white shoes, and a black hat that partially obscures his face.

The blast happened at around 9 p. m. on Monday. The three victims were “apparently returning home peacefully” during the early evening, based on surveillance footage, Minister of State for Monaco, Christophe Mirmand, said.

“They were caught in the explosion as they crossed the threshold of their apartment building,” he added.

According to Mirmand, the victims are “regular” residents of Monaco, though authorities have yet to establish whether the family had received threats previously. “It appears that the family was specifically targeted,” he emphasised, noting that the alleged perpetrator “had walked around the area several times while waiting for the victims,” according to surveillance footage.

The assault has sent shockwaves through the elite Mediterranean principality. Monaco’s Prince Albert II condemned it as “an odious act”, confirming that all of the country’s services had been mobilised to guarantee security.

Ermolaev, a Ukrainian-born businessman originally from the city of Dnipro, amassed his wealth through the Alef Group, a diversified holding company with interests spanning commercial property, manufacturing and agriculture. He rose to become one of Ukraine’s most prominent property developers, spearheading projects that transformed parts of Dnipro’s city centre, and has frequently featured in rankings of Ukraine’s wealthiest individuals.

In an interview with Forbes Ukraine, Ermolaev revealed he had relinquished his Ukrainian citizenship and obtained Cypriot nationality in 2017.

In December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Ermolaev as part of a wider package targeting individuals and companies that Kyiv claimed had business ties to Russia or Russian-occupied territories. A sun-drenched haven for the wealthy and celebrated, Monaco is as well-known for its tax advantages and Formula 1 Grand Prix as it is for its glamorous royal dynasty.

The tiny principality is widely considered one of the most secure locations on the planet, bolstered by an extensive network of thousands of CCTV cameras blanketing the majority of its public areas.

Monaco’s population of 38,000 is highly diverse in nationality, with merely a fifth of its residents actually holding citizenship of the principality.