Husband of Russia's richest woman arrested after fatal office shooting amid bitter divorce

A video shows a group of men, believed to include Mr Bakalchuk, attempting to storm the building while one man smashes a glass door.

After the man jumps through, several shots are heard.

Other videos from the office show a man, possibly a security guard, reaching for his gun and shooting at the intruders.

Mr Bakalchuk's lawyers called the allegations against him a “blatant and unprecedented violation” of his rights and said the allegations contradicted witness testimony and video evidence to the contrary.

A statement on the incident said: “Upon their arrival, Vladislav and his representatives were aggressively attacked by police officers and the office's security service. As a result of this altercation, a shootout ensued, with the office's security officers being the first to open fire.”

“Among the guards they hired were terrorists – people with a criminal past. It was they who opened fire to kill Vladislav and his representatives.”

Ms Bakalchuk strongly denied the allegations.

“Today a group of people led by Vladislav Bakalchuk […] tried to occupy Wildberries’ offices in Moscow,” she said on Telegram.

“It is with great regret that a security guard at our office was killed in the armed attack on Wildberries,” she said.

“Statements about alleged negotiations attended by the armed group are absurd, since no one agreed to such negotiations.

“This is a hostile takeover. Or rather, an unsuccessful one,” she added.

A second security guard died in hospital from injuries sustained in the incident after Ms. Bakalchuk gave her testimony.

In a tearful video posted online, she asked: “Vladislav, what are you doing? How can you look your parents and our children in the eyes? How could you make the situation so absurd?”

The incident is reminiscent of the “corporate raids” that plagued Russian companies in the 1990s and 2000s, when competitors tried to seize assets by showing up with armed men and taking control of a company's offices rather than buying shares.