MOSCOW, Sept 19 (Askume) – Vladislav Bakarchuk, the estranged husband of Russia’s richest man, was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder following a deadly shooting at the Moscow offices of Russia’s biggest online retailer, his lawyer said.
The dispute over the company’s future turned violent on Wednesday when two people were killed in a shootout at the Wildberries office a short distance from the Kremlin. Seven others, including police officers, were injured.
Vladislav and his wife, Tatyana Bakalchuk, filed for divorce in July and have been embroiled in controversy since June when Wildberries announced plans to merge with outdoor advertising company Rus Group.
Tatyana founded Wildberries, the Russian equivalent of Amazon, in 2004 and transformed it from an online clothing reseller into a leading marketplace for a wide range of goods.
Each side blamed the other for Wednesday’s firing.
Vladislav said that he had come for a pre-scheduled meeting and that it was the office staff who fired the first shots. Tatiana said that Vladislav and his associates tried to take over the office, but no meeting was scheduled.
Vladislav’s lawyer said he had been arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer in a “clear and unprecedented violation” of his client’s rights.
The commercial dispute centered on a merger that created a new company called RVB, with Robert Mirzoyan as CEO, reducing Tatyana’s total stake in Wildberries from 99% to about 65% of RVB.
At the time Vladislav said his wife had been “harassed”. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who supports Vladislav, described the occupation as an attempt to “plunder property”.
Tatiana has denied both allegations. The Kremlin said the merger has the support of President Vladimir Putin but that he would not interfere with its progress.
Tatyana posted a tearful video on Telegram on Thursday morning, saying: “Vladislav, what are you doing? How will you look in the eyes of your parents and our children? How can you let things go? To such an absurd extent?
The case dates back to the 1990s, when deadly corporate feuds were common as massive wealth was redistributed following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
