Vladislav Bakalchuk, the estranged husband of Russia’s richest woman, was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder, his lawyers said, following a deadly shooting at the Moscow office of Russia’s biggest online retailer.
Two people were killed in a shooting at the Wildberries office just a few blocks from the Kremlin on Wednesday as a dispute over the company’s future turned violent. Seven others, including police officers, were injured.
Vladislav and his wife Tatyana Bakalchuk, who filed for divorce in July, have been embroiled in a bitter and public feud since Wildberries announced plans to merge with outdoor advertising firm Rus Group in June.
Tatyana founded Wildberries in 2004, Russia’s answer to Amazon, and grew it from an online clothing reseller into a leading marketplace for all kinds of goods.
Both sides blamed each other for Wednesday’s firing.
Vladislav said that he had come for a pre-scheduled meeting and that the office staff fired the first shots. Tatyana said that Vladislav and his companions had tried to take over the office and that no meeting had been scheduled.
Vladislav’s lawyers said he has been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, a “clear and unprecedented violation” of their client’s rights.
The business dispute centers around a merger that formed a new company called RVB, headed by Robert Mirzoyan as CEO, which saw Tatyana’s total stake reduced from 99% in Wildberries to approximately 65% in RVB.
At the time Vladislav said his wife was being “manipulated”. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who supported Vladislav, described the merger as an attempt to “grab property”.
Tatyana has rejected both allegations. The Kremlin said the merger has the support of President Vladimir Putin, but that it would not interfere with its progress.
In a tearful video message posted on Telegram on Thursday morning, Tatyana said: “Vladislav, what are you doing? How will you look into the eyes of your parents and our children? How can you bring the situation to such an absurd point?”
The case dates back to the 1990s, when deadly corporate battles were common as large shares of wealth were redistributed following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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