Russia silent on corporate shootout at e-retailer Wildberries
Moscow is remaining silent on a deadly shootout last week at the Moscow office of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries.
The Kremlin spokesman on Monday refused to comment. The gun battle in a street in the centre of the Russian capital, which left two people dead and seven injured, is reminiscent of the chaotic 1990s, when the country’s emergence from communism was marked by violent struggles over economic resources.
“We do not think it is for us to comment on this topic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked for comment on the case, which has links to a regional strongman who is a loyal supporter of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
“These events are now being investigated. This is being dealt with by law enforcement,” the spokesman said. “The actual process of merging companies is also outside our remit. These are business processes that do not require us to comment.”
The dispute centres around Wildberries’ founder and majority shareholder Tatyana Bakalchuk. Russia’s richest woman recently decided to merge the company with outdoor advertising firm Russ Group.
However, Bakalchuk’s ex-husband and the company’s co-founder Vladimir has challenged the move, and has recruited Chechnya’s notorious ruler Ramzan Kadyrov to support his claims.
According to reports, the merger deal was personally approved by Putin. However, Kadyrov has denounced it as an illegal seizure.
On Friday, at least two dozen people, including a Chechen mixed martial arts fighter, were arrested due to suspected involvement in the shootout.
Vladislav Bakalchuk owns 1 percent of the company. His wife owns the other 99 percent. She is now Russia’s richest woman, with Forbes pegging her net worth at $4.1bn.
Her husband, who said he had arrived at the office with peaceful intentions, was arrested for 48 hours last week.
His lawyer said he had been arrested on suspicion of murder and other crimes. But late on Friday, he released a video on Telegram saying that he was at home and would continue to fight for his “family business”.
In June, Forbes Russia reported that Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the presidential administration, had been appointed to oversee the implementation of the merger.
Following the shootout, Tatyana Bakalchuk released a tearful video message accusing her husband of organising an armed attack.
The Wildberries chief announced in July that she had filed for divorce. On Monday she said she was reverting to using her maiden name, Kim.