Two people were killed and seven others wounded in a shooting at the Moscow office of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries, investigators said on Wednesday, in what appears to be an escalation of a dispute over the company’s future, reported Reuters.
The shooting took place a few blocks away from the Kremlin, approximately two months after Wildberries merged with another private firm in a deal overseen by the presidential administration, according to Russian media. Wildberries’ founder and majority owner, Tatyana Bakalchuk, and her estranged husband, Vladislav, who holds a small stake in the company, blamed each other for the incident. The shooting occurred after a group, including Vladislav, arrived at the office.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for probing major crimes, launched a criminal case and confirmed that two police officers were among the injured. One of the victims was a Wildberries security guard. Russia’s state news agency RIA reported that nearly 30 people had been detained, but did not name those involved.
In June, Wildberries announced plans to merge with a smaller outdoor advertising company, Russ, aiming to create a digital trading platform. Vladislav opposed the merger.
Russian media reported that Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the presidential administration, had been appointed to oversee the deal. The Kremlin said the plan had President Vladimir Putin’s backing, but he would not interfere in the process.
In late July, Tatyana, Russia’s richest woman according to Forbes, announced she had filed for divorce from Vladislav.
On Wednesday, Wildberries and Tatyana claimed that a group of armed individuals led by Vladislav attempted to force entry into the office. Vladislav, however, asserted that he and his representatives were unarmed and had only come to discuss business. He claimed that security guards of the merged company, RVB, fired at him and his colleagues.
Wildberries denied scheduling any meeting with Vladislav and released footage showing a brawl in a corridor, with gunshots heard in the background. Other footage shared on social media showed people running toward the building’s entrance, accompanied by the sound of gunfire and men pulling out firearms.
Wildberries, which began as an online clothing reseller, now sells everything from electronics to kitchenware, with billions of dollars in turnover.
