Tatjana Kim (ex-Bakalchuk) built Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online marketplace. In 2024 she pushed a merger with Russ Group (tied to Dagestani billionaire/senator Suleiman Kerimov). Her husband Vladislav Bakalchuk (who owned only ~1%) opposed it, claiming a hostile takeover.Bakalchuk ran to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for help. Kadyrov publicly backed him, called it a raid, and vowed to “return the wife to the family.” This triggered a deadly shootout at the Moscow HQ (Chechen-linked men vs security, two dead).Kadyrov then declared a blood feud against Kerimov and other Dagestani/Ingush politicians, accusing them of stealing the company and plotting to kill him. The Dagestani (Kerimov) side had Kremlin support; Putin mediated. Kadyrov lost influence, the merger went ahead, Kim kept control after the divorce, and the feud was later settled with big compensation.Some channels claim Ukraine’s 2026 drone strikes on Wildberries warehouses are a secret deal with Kadyrov to hit the winning (Kim/Kerimov) side as revenge.
