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Day: 15 July 2026

Vadym Iermolaiev breaks silence after Monaco bombing: “Our survival was nothing short of a miracle”

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Vadym Iermolaiev has spoken publicly for the first time since the bomb attack that seriously injured him, his partner and their teenage son in Monaco, describing the explosion outside their home as “an attempted murder” and calling for “the truth, protection and justice”.

The Ukrainian businessman released an open letter on Tuesday through his long-time legal advisers, the Ukrainian law firm Dynasty Law & Investment, which said it has represented the Iermolaiev family for many years. Addressed to Prince Albert II of Monaco, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the residents of Monaco and the media, the statement was issued, he said, because his medical condition prevents him from speaking publicly.

Recalling the attack of 29th June, Iermolaiev says an explosive device detonated outside the entrance to his family’s Monaco residence with the intention of killing him, his partner Anna and their 13-year-old son.

“This was not a warning. It was an attempted murder,” he says.

He writes that Anna suffered “extremely severe injuries with irreversible consequences”, while their son sustained burns, fractures and severe trauma. Iermolaiev says he remains in intensive care and faces a lengthy recovery. “Our survival was nothing short of a miracle,” he says.

According to Iermolaiev, the force of the blast tore away metal railings and shattered the stone steps outside the family’s home. He also alleges that those responsible detonated the device despite seeing that a woman and child were standing beside him.

“We know that those responsible for the attack saw a woman and a child standing beside me before detonating the explosion. They acted with the intention of killing all three of us, without regard for age or gender,” he writes.

The letter comes one week after the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that a serving officer of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) had confessed to murdering Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of carrying out the Monaco bombing. Ukrainian and Monaco prosecutors said investigators are continuing to establish who ordered the attempted murder and whether others were involved.

Referring to information communicated to him during the investigation, Iermolaiev says he believes serving HUR officers were involved in the attempted assassination and that the operation may have extended beyond those who carried it out directly.

“I fully appreciate the seriousness of these allegations. I am making them public because I believe they must be the subject of a complete, independent and transparent investigation,” he says.

He argues that, if those allegations are substantiated, the implications extend far beyond his family’s case.

“If serving members of an intelligence service use their positions, their resources or their networks to organise the attempted murder of a family on European soil, then this is no longer simply a crime against my family. It is a matter of international security and trust in public institutions,” he says.

At the same time, Iermolaiev stresses that his criticism is directed at individuals rather than Ukraine itself.

“This statement is directed neither against Ukraine nor against the Ukrainian people,” he writes, adding: “Ukraine depends on the trust of its allies. No institution, no intelligence service and no public official can be placed above the law.”

Iermolaiev also thanks Prince Albert II, Monaco’s emergency services, investigators and medical teams, as well as President Emmanuel Macron and the French authorities, for their support following the attack. He also expresses gratitude to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his personal attention to the case had been significant to his family.

The businessman says he and his legal team will continue cooperating with authorities in Monaco, France and Ukraine while calling for protection for his family, witnesses, his lawyers and everyone involved in the investigation until those responsible — including those who ordered the attack — are identified and brought to justice.

Reflecting on the long recovery still ahead, he writes: “Today, my family is fighting to rebuild our lives… We ask for only three things: the truth, protection and justice.

See also: 

Ukrainian intelligence officer confesses to killing Monaco bomb suspect

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Monaco stands with France on Nice attack anniversary

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene joined French President Emmanuel Macron and thousands of mourners in Nice on Tuesday for a solemn national tribute marking the 10th anniversary of the 14th July 2016 terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 86 people and injured more than 400.

Held in Place Masséna, the commemorative ceremony brought together victims’ families, survivors, emergency responders, elected officials and national dignitaries to honour those killed when Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a 19-tonne truck nearly two kilometres through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais before being shot dead by police.

The Princely Couple attended alongside President Macron, former French Presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, senior government officials and representatives of the institutions that responded to one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern French history.

In a poignant opening to the ceremony, the names of all 86 victims were read aloud as 43 children from Nice and 43 adults who had responded on the night of the attack—including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors and municipal workers—each placed an olive branch on one of 86 iconic blue chairs, modelled on those that line the Promenade des Anglais and engraved with the name of each victim.

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the large crowd gathered in Place Massena for the ceremony. Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace

Addressing the gathering, President Macron paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to the first responders whose courage helped save countless others.

“We have forgotten no name, no face, no story,” he declared, praising those who rushed to help amid the chaos. “They were, in the barbarity of that night, the worthy children of French fraternity.”

Macron also reaffirmed the Republic’s commitment to those still living with the consequences of the attack.

“Ten years on, the Republic stands beside you. It remembers, it supports, it protects and it fights,” he said, while promising that efforts to establish the full truth surrounding the events of that night would continue as judicial investigations into security failings remain ongoing.

Representatives of victims’ associations reflected on the long road to recovery, stressing that resilience does not mean forgetting.

“One never turns the page after losing a child, a parent, a friend or a part of oneself,” said Patrick Prigent, president of Life for Nice.

As night fell, nearly 20,000 people gathered once again on the Promenade des Anglais for a moving public tribute. A drone show involving 2,016 illuminated drones filled the sky, spelling out the words Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité to the music of Calogero’s Les Feux d’Artifice. The display concluded with 86 blue beams of light projected into the night sky as the names of the victims were read once more.

Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace

The youngest victim was just two years old; the oldest was 79. Nearly half were foreign nationals and around 30 were Muslim, a reminder of the diversity of those whose lives were taken that evening.

The anniversary was also observed beyond Nice. Before kick-off in the Women’s Football World Cup semi-final between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, players and spectators observed a minute’s silence while the stadium’s giant screens displayed the heart-shaped emblem created from the names of the victims.

Throughout the day, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene spent time speaking with the families and friends of victims who had gathered for the ceremony, offering their personal support and sharing a moment of remembrance with those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy. Their presence underscored the close ties between Monaco and Nice, and the Principality’s continued commitment to standing alongside its neighbour in honouring the victims of one of the Riviera’s darkest days.

Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Prince’s Palace

A symbolic sky: 2016 drones mark 10th anniversary of Nice terrorist attack

by: Virginia D’Umas
15/07/2026

On the evening of Tuesday 14th July, the skies above the Promenade des Anglais were transformed into a canvas of light and memory. To mark the 10th anniversary of the 2016 terrorist attack, the city of Nice held a fitting tribute, replacing traditional fireworks with a sophisticated drone display.

The commemorative event featured 2,016 drones, a number chosen specifically to represent the year of the tragedy. Accompanying the drones, 86 beams of light pierced the night sky, each one a dedicated symbol honouring the 86 lives lost in the attack.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the victims, the city, and the nation,” said Caroline Constantin, who led the mission’s artistic design. “Working alongside victims’ associations since mid-December, our goal was to focus on resilience. We wanted to move away from the drama and instead offer a moment of hope and reflection on life continuing.”

Returning to the Promenade

For the survivors and families of the victims, the evening was deeply personal. Many, for whom returning to the site of the attack had been an insurmountable challenge, found that this year offered a necessary, gentle space for closure. The decision to move away from traditional pyrotechnics provided a quieter, more ethereal environment for the city to remember, a shift that many residents welcomed after a decade of avoiding the Promenade on this date.

A significant city investment

The display, which saw the city coordinate closely with four victims’ associations, represents a change in how Nice approaches its annual commemorations. With costs estimated between €100,000 and €200,000, the project was a deliberate choice by city leadership, including former mayor Christian Estrosi and current Mayor of Nice Éric Ciotti, to provide a respectful alternative to the fireworks that were customary before 2016.

A collective act of remembrance

For the large crowds gathered along the shoreline, the performance was more than a visual display; it was a collective act of remembrance. As the drones formed symbolic shapes and the 86 beams of light anchored the horizon, the city of Nice demonstrated a profound capacity for resilience, proving that the memory of those lost remains central to the heart of the community.

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Main photo by Virginia D’Umas, Monaco Life

 

Le Méridien Beach Plaza celebrates 50 years of marine conservation with new photography exhibition

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Le Méridien Beach Plaza is marking the 50th anniversary of the Monegasque Association for Nature Protection (AMPN) with a new photography exhibition celebrating five decades of marine conservation in the Principality.

Running from 15th July to 15th October, the exhibition, 50 Years of Commitment to Biodiversity, takes over the hotel’s Méridien Hub, offering visitors a visual journey through the history of Monaco’s Marine Protected Areas and the people who have worked to preserve them.

Founded in 1976 at the request of Prince Rainier III, the AMPN was established to help Monaco play a meaningful role in protecting the Mediterranean Sea. The association has since become a driving force in marine conservation, managing the Larvotto Marine Protected Area since its creation in 1976 and extending its stewardship to the Spélugues Marine Protected Area a decade later. Today, these sites are recognised internationally as models for urban marine conservation.

Over the past five decades, the association has led pioneering scientific research, ecological restoration programmes and long-term monitoring of marine habitats, while also introducing innovative conservation initiatives, including the world’s first 3D-printed artificial reefs in 2017. Alongside its scientific work, the organisation has placed education and public awareness at the heart of its mission, believing that inspiring future generations is essential to protecting the world’s oceans.

A visual journey through Monaco’s marine heritage

The exhibition is organised around six themes—Protect, Develop, Restore, Study, Innovate and Inspire—and combines archive material with contemporary photography to chart the evolution of Monaco’s marine conservation efforts.

Visitors will discover the creation and management of the Principality’s protected marine areas, major scientific discoveries, restoration projects and technological innovations that have helped safeguard one of the Mediterranean’s richest coastal ecosystems.

A longstanding partnership

Hosting the exhibition reflects Le Méridien Beach Plaza’s long-standing collaboration with the AMPN. As Monaco’s only hotel with a private beach directly bordering the Larvotto Marine Protected Area, the hotel has worked alongside the association on numerous environmental initiatives, including beach and underwater clean-ups, educational activities for children, awareness programmes for guests and staff, and support for conservation projects.

The Larvotto Marine Protected Area, which covers 33 hectares of Monaco’s coastline, is home to extensive Posidonia seagrass meadows and a remarkable diversity of marine life, including groupers, moray eels, octopus and spiny lobsters.

The exhibition forms part of Le Méridien’s global Unlock Art™ programme, which aims to connect guests with the cultural identity of each destination through exhibitions, artistic collaborations and exclusive cultural experiences. In Monaco, hotel guests can also enjoy complimentary admission to exhibitions at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco by presenting their room key.

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, listen to our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo taken from exhibition panel. 

Monaco unveils ‘Renature the City’ vision to create a greener, more climate-resilient future

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

The Monegasque government has unveiled an ambitious long-term strategy to integrate more nature into the Principality’s urban landscape, as it seeks to prepare Monaco for the challenges of climate change while improving quality of life for residents.

The initiative, titled ‘Renature the City’, sets out the principles that will guide future development and urban planning projects across one of the world’s most densely built environments. Developed in collaboration with international landscape architecture firm Grant Associates, the strategy aims to strengthen Monaco’s resilience to rising temperatures, enhance biodiversity and create more comfortable public spaces.

Among its priorities are tackling the urban heat island effect, increasing green spaces and ensuring nature is incorporated into new developments from the earliest stages of design.

“In a vertical city as densely urbanised as Monaco, one of our foremost responsibilities is to imagine the city of tomorrow,” said Minister of State Christophe Mirmand.

“We must take into account the need to combat heat islands so that residents can continue to enjoy a high quality of life as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. This is essential for the Principality’s attractiveness, but it is also important for health and social wellbeing.”

Rather than treating greenery as an afterthought, the strategy will embed environmental considerations into the planning of public infrastructure, neighbourhood developments and open spaces, ensuring future projects are both more resilient and more enjoyable to live in.

Government Minister for Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development Céline Caron-Dagioni said the approach is already shaping the way new projects are conceived.

“From the earliest design stages, we are considering how nature can be integrated, even in spaces that have traditionally been highly mineral for technical reasons,” she said.

“Nature and technical requirements are not incompatible. We also want to ensure that pedestrians, whether walking past public or private developments, continue to enjoy those magnificent views of the Mediterranean, allowing the eye to remain connected to the blue horizon.”

The government has published a dedicated section on its website featuring a presentation video, the strategic framework behind the initiative and examples illustrating how the principles will be implemented in future projects.

See also:

Fontvielle’s Avenue des Papalins to get a green makeover

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Image source: Government Communications Department

Monaco and Germany reaffirm close ties as diplomatic relations mark 75 years

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Monaco and Germany have reaffirmed the strength of their longstanding relationship during a high-level bilateral meeting in Berlin, held as the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

On 10th July, Monaco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, met with her German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, at the Federal Foreign Office in the German capital. The discussions highlighted the excellent state of relations between the Principality and Germany while providing an opportunity to address a range of shared priorities.

According to a government statement, among the key topics discussed were innovation, climate action, ocean protection, and cooperation on economic, scientific and cultural initiatives. The two ministers also underlined the shared values that continue to underpin relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, Wadephul congratulated Monaco on its current Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and praised the Principality’s commitment to advancing accountability mechanisms for Ukraine.

Berro-Amadeï was accompanied by Lorenzo Ravano, Monaco’s Ambassador to Germany, together with diplomats Jean-Laurent Imbert and Tatiana El Khoury from the Embassy in Berlin.

Monaco and Germany formally established diplomatic relations in October 1951 with the creation of a diplomatic legation, which was elevated to embassy status in August 1983.

Today, Monaco’s Embassy in Berlin oversees a network of six honorary consuls located in Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Potsdam, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart, helping to strengthen the Principality’s presence and promote its interests across Germany.

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, listen to our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok. 

Photo source: Government Communications Department