Vladislav Bakalchuk, the estranged husband of Russia’s richest woman, was detained and charged with murder on Thursday, according to his lawyers, following a deadly firefight at the Moscow office of Russia’s largest online retailer.
A shooting at the Wildberries headquarters, located near the Kremlin, resulted in the deaths of two workers after a debate about the company’s future escalated. Seven people were injured, including police officers.
Vladislav and his wife Tatyana Bakalchuk, who filed for divorce in July, have been involved in a public feud since Wildberries revealed plans to merge with outdoor advertising firm Russ Group in June.
Tatyana launched Wildberries, Russia’s counterpart to Amazon, in 2004, and has grown it from an online clothing reseller to a large marketplace for a wide range of products.
Both parties accused the other for Wednesday’s shooting.
Vladislav stated that he had arrived for a pre-arranged meeting and that the first bullets were fired by office workers. Tatyana stated that Vladislav and his colleagues attempted to seize the office, and that no meeting had been set.
Vladislav’s lawyers stated that he had been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, which they deemed a “blatant and unprecedented violation” of their client’s rights.
The business issue stems from the merger that created RVB, a new company led by Robert Mirzoyan. Tatyana’s stake in RVB decreased from 99% to roughly 65%.
Vladislav at the time claimed that his wife was being “manipulated.” Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who intervened to assist Vladislav, described the merger as a “asset grab.”
Tatyana has denied both of these charges. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has approved the merger but would not interfere with its progress.
Tatyana uploaded a distraught video message on Telegram early Thursday, asking Vladimir, “What are you doing? How will you look in the eyes of your parents and our children? “How could you make the situation so absurd?”
The case dates back to the 1990s, when fatal business turf fights were widespread in Russia as vast tracts of property were redistributed following the collapse of the Soviet Union.