Estranged husband of Russia’s richest woman arrested over murder after attempting to seize billionaire wife’s company by force
Tatyana Bakalchuk, his estranged wife and the company’s billionaire CEO, said he broke into the building with armed men and opened fire, in what she called a botched attempt to seize the company by force. The chaotic shootout just a few streets from the Kremlin evoked memories of the 1990s in Russia, where corporate disputes were sometimes settled through violent, criminal means.Bakalchuk founded Wildberries together with then IT technician Vladislav in 2004, but in July she announced the two had separated and were getting a divorce.
In July, after meeting with Vladislav in person, the powerful leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, denounced the deal as a “blatant and brazen” corporate raid and vowed to put a stop to it.His lawyers called the murder charge “absurd” in a post on social media. The online retailer declared a day of mourning yesterday, while Tatyana denounced her husband in a tearful video.