A Moscow court has ordered businessman Vladislav Bakalchuk, the ex-husband of Russia’s wealthiest woman, to return part of the assets he was awarded during their divorce, state media reported Monday.
Tatiana Kim and Bakalchuk finalized their divorce in February following a surprise merger last summer between Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries and the outdoor advertising firm Russ Group.
On Thursday, Kim became the sole owner of the merged company, called Wildberries Russ, after a court awarded her Bakalchuk’s remaining 1% stake.
Bakalchuk received 14% of the couple’s shared assets in the property division, including an apartment and a plot of land in the Moscow region, two companies and funds in personal bank accounts, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the company’s press service.
“Since the value of the awarded property exceeds his share, the court ordered him to pay Tatiana Kim 217 million rubles [$2.6 million],” Wildberries Russ said, citing a ruling by Moscow’s Savyolovsky District Court.
On Friday, Interfax reported that police had launched a criminal case against one of Bakalchuk’s companies, WB Development, over alleged fraud involving warehouse construction contracts in the Tver region. The damages were estimated at 14.3 million rubles ($174,200).
Bakalchuk dismissed the case on social media, writing that police are accusing him “once again stealing from myself.”
Wildberries’ merger with Russ Group, which President Vladimir Putin personally approved, sparked a bitter corporate and personal dispute between Kim and Bakalchuk.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov publicly sided with Bakalchuk, accusing Russ Group’s beneficiaries of orchestrating a “hostile takeover” of Wildberries. The dispute escalated into a deadly shootout at the company’s headquarters in September.
Some Russian business outlets have described the merger as “strange,” framing it as part of a broader power struggle between Kadyrov and influential billionaire senator Suleiman Kerimov.
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