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years ago. The rest will be decided by the guys." Kadyrov instructed his right-hand man, State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, to “figure it out.” He immediately reported that he was ready.
Kadyrov calls the brothers Levan and Robert Mirzoyan, as well as “several famous Caucasians,” raiders. In the video, he mentions “people from the Caucasus who have never been businessmen, but have always been involved in raiding.” Levan and Robert Mirzoyan are the official owners of Russ.
in an interview with RBC, Vladislav Bakalchuk said that “Levan Mirzoyan has subjugated Tatyana [Bakalchuk] and is manipulating her.” According to Bakalchuk, his wife “left home” in April, “began communicating” with the Mirzoyans and removed her husband from managing the company, and then, together with new partners, presented him with a merger plan, according to which Russ received 80%, and the Bakalchuks received 10% % of the merged company.
Who are the “famous Caucasians” mentioned by Kadyrov? The most likely candidate is senator and billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. In 2019, when the structures of the little-known Mirzoyan brothers were just beginning to buy up assets in the outdoor advertising market, RBC wrote that Kerimov was behind their company. Since then, the Mirzoyans have bought up all four of the largest companies on the market, led by Russ. Kommersant’s sources claimed at the end of June that “Kerimov is still behind Russ.”
Tatyana Bakalchuk first responded to her husband and Kadyrov with a short post in which she wrote: “This is not a raider takeover. This is a scam,” and accompanied the post with a photograph in which both Bakalchuk and Robert Mirzoyan present the new structure of the company to the top management.
In the evening, Bakalchuk explained herself in more detail in a separate video message. She stated that she was “alive, healthy and not a hostage, as in Captive of the Caucasus.” She showed a document to the camera indicating that Vladislav Bakalchuk has “1% shares” and stated that he does not participate in the management of the company. She explained the decision to merge with Russ by “the need to transform in order to maintain growth rates and develop.” “The deal is fully approved and supported,” she emphasized, although she was careful not to mention the name of the main supporter, Vladimir Putin. In conclusion, Bakalchuk stated that she “confirms the start of the divorce process.”
Kadyrov’s post and the video of his conversation with Bakalchuk appeared now not by chance. After the June announcement of the deal between Wildberries and Russ, the companies quickly began to act. On July 5, a joint company, VBR LLC, was created, in which the parent legal entity of Wildberries, Wildberries LLC, received 65%, and the Mirzoyan structure - 35%. On Monday, July 22, Wildberries LLC transferred 26 of its regional subsidiaries
229 RUSSIA Country Report August 2024 www.intellinews.com