The ex-husband of Wildberries founder Tatiana Bakalchuk, Russia’s wealthiest woman, was arrested Thursday following a deadly shootout at the online retailer’s headquarters in Moscow the day before, his lawyers said.
The shooting incident, which occurred just a few blocks from the Kremlin, left two security guards dead and several others others wounded, including two law enforcement officers. Federal investigators launched a criminal probe into the incident.
Tatiana Bakalchuk accused her ex-husband Vladislav of orchestrating a failed takeover attempt after he publicly opposed Wildberries’ merger with the advertising firm Russ Group to form a new digital trading platform under Kremlin oversight.
Vladislav, who holds a minor stake in the online retailer, described the merger as a hostile takeover and sought the support of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. On Wednesday, he led a group of men to the company’s headquarters in Moscow to discuss ending “the construction of a warehouse.”
Tatiana Bakalchuk denied the claim, and Wildberries said the group of men tried to forcibly enter the building before opening fire on security guards. Police arrested around 30 people following the shootout.
On Thursday, Vladislav Bakalchuk’s lawyers said he was charged with multiple criminal offenses, including murder, attempted murder, vigilantism and an attempt on the life of a law enforcement officer.
The lawyers called the charges an “unprecedented violation” of their client’s rights, insisting that the office security staff had opened fire first. They further alleged that investigators were pressuring Vladislav’s legal team, but did not provide further details.
In a new development, Vladislav’s lawyers also named billionaire senator Suleiman Kerimov as a key figure behind Wildberries’ merger with Russ Group. Although Kerimov was linked to Russ Group in media reports, the company’s CEO, Robert Mirzoyan, said Kerimov was just a “friend” but denied any formal connection.
After Vladislav sought help from Kadyrov in July, the Chechen leader accused “well-known Caucasians” of coercing Tatiana into the merger. Kadyrov’s reference was widely interpreted as an allusion to Kerimov, who is from the North Caucasus region of Dagestan.
Business news media have called the Wildberries-Russ Group deal “very strange” for presenting itself as a merger between equal partners. Wildberries is 20 times bigger than Russ Group, with 538.7 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) in revenues last year compared to Russ Group’s 27.9 billion rubles ($300 million).
The independent business outlet The Bell suggested the merger may be part of Russia’s wartime redistribution of assets that has rewarded Kremlin-linked business figures.
A Moscow court later on Thursday remanded in custody six men suspected of being involved in the shootout at the Wildberries headquarters.
