Published: September 18, 2024 12:41 pm
Author: RT
The shooting is believed to have occurred during a bitter dispute between property owners who were going through a divorce
A deadly shooting took place near the entrance to the Moscow HQ of e-commerce giant Wildberries on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The disturbance at the central Romanov Dvor business center occurred shortly after midday. According to preliminary reports, a group of several dozen people started breaking windows at the property, after which gunshots were heard.
The altercation lasted for just a couple of minutes, reportedly leaving one person dead and several others injured, including a police officer. As many as 30 people have reportedly been taken into custody.
Russian law enforcement confirmed that an investigation into the incident was underway.
Wildberries was co-founded in 2004 by married couple Tatyana and Vladislav Bakalchuk, with Tatyana serving as the company’s CEO. In July, the pair confirmed that they were looking for a divorce.
A bitter dispute reportedly arose over corporate ownership, as Wildberries intends to conduct a merger with advertising giant Russ. Mr Bakalchuk confirmed that he owned just 1% of the company, but claimed that his spouse was mismanaging the firm.
In a statement on Wednesday’s incident, Mrs Bakalchuk claimed that her estranged husband had led a group of armed people, who claimed that they wanted negotiations, but were actually trying to force their way inside to seize the property.
“It was a raid, or rather a failed raid,” she alleged.
