Two people were killed in a shooting at the Moscow office of Russian retailer Wildberries on Wednesday, according to Russian media reports.
The incident was attributed to a failed takeover attempt, which the company’s CEO, Tatyana Bakalchuk, blamed on her estranged husband, Vladislav Bakalchuk.
Wildberries stated that armed men, led by Vladislav, illegally entered the company’s central Moscow office and opened fire. Video footage circulating on social media showed a confrontation at the entrance to the office, with gunshots heard in the background and a man seen brandishing a firearm.
The shooting comes just weeks after Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, completed a controversial merger with the Russian outdoor advertising giant Russ. Vladislav had publicly opposed the deal, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had also vowed to block it.
“Today, a group led by Vladislav Bakalchuk, Sergei Anufriev, and Vladimir Bakin attempted to seize Wildberries’ Moscow offices,” said CEO Tatyana Bakalchuk, Russia’s richest woman.
“Tragically, during the armed attack, one of our office security guards was killed,” she added, with a second guard later succumbing to his injuries, according to Russian state media.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for probing major crimes, has launched an investigation and is currently at the scene, the state news agency TASS reported.
Vladislav denied any involvement in the violence, claiming on social media that he arrived unarmed for negotiations and that the shots came from “inside the building.” However, Wildberries disputed his account, stating that his men were the first to open fire and that Vladislav had no legal right to enter the building as a former employee.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that ten people had been detained in connection with the shooting.
Vladislav and Tatyana Bakalchuk, who co-founded Wildberries together in 2004, separated in July and are in the process of divorcing. Vladislav holds just one percent of the company, while Tatyana controls the remaining 99 percent.
The merger deal between Wildberries and Russ, which received Kremlin approval, was denounced by Vladislav as a “huge mistake.” In July, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov described the merger as a “blatant and brazen” corporate raid and pledged to stop it, after meeting with Vladislav personally.