A police officer guards the entrance to the Wildberries headquarters after the shootout. Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Two people were killed in a shootout at the Moscow headquarters of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries, state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.
According to TASS, “a group of 20–30 men” began breaking windows in the lobby of the business centre where the Wildberries office is located, and “shots were fired in response”. Several people were detained by the police, TASS added, without specifying the number of arrests.
The group of men reportedly included Vladislav Bakalchuk, the husband of Wildberries founder Tatyana Bakalchuk, who owns 1% of the company. Tatyana Bakalchuk announced that she had filed for divorce in July, after which Vladislav Bakalchuk told state news agency RIA Novosti that as the couple had not signed a prenuptial agreement, he was legally entitled to half of the company.
Vladislav Bakalchuk wrote on his Telegram channel that he had come to the Wildberries office for talks with its management on the construction of new warehouses, but was attacked just before he entered the business centre. He later claimed that the first shots had come from inside the building: “We came to discuss business issues, and they opened fire on us in response.”
Russia’s richest woman with an estimated net worth of €3.7 billion, Tatyana Bakalchuk denied on Wednesday that anybody had agreed to talks and urged the Russian authorities to “bring the situation under control”. “We have no secrets. Therefore, I ask that the results of the investigation into the motives of the people who organised this lawlessness be made public,” she added.
Vladislav Bakalchuk previously objected to a planned merger between Wildberries and the Russ Group, Russia’s largest advertising operator, which is set to establish a digital trading platform operating both in Russia and its neighbours. In June, Forbes Russia reported that the merger had received Kremlin approval.
Calling the merger “a hostile takeover”, Vladislav Bakalchuk publicly sought the help of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in July. In turn, Tatyana Bakalchuk denied the accusations, saying: “It’s not a corporate raid. It’s a divorce”.
Following the shootout on Wednesday, Tatyana Bakalchuk commented wryly: “Now that’s a corporate raid. Or rather, a failed attempt at one.”
Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries turned over approximately 2.5 trillion rubles (€24.4 billion) in 2023, accounting for over 5% of all Russian retail trade, independent news outlet The Bell reported, noting that its equal partnership with the far smaller Russ Group, raised questions about the goals of the deal. “Business figures whose main assets are their connections and ability to resolve issues with officials are being given even more opportunities to take over ‘new’ businesses that are either being created or forced into mergers,” The Bell wrote.
