A number of Chechens have been found guilty of hooliganism involving weapons and violence in the shooting which took place outside the online shop Wildberries’ office in central Moscow in 2024. The investigation of a Chechen man suspected of killing two in the shootout was suspended, as the man is reportedly fighting in Ukraine.
According to information published on 24 March by Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction, six defendants were found guilty in the incident, which has been described by the authorities as a ‘conflict between a group of men’.
Presnensky District Court in Moscow sentenced Dzhabrail Umaev and Murad Mazhiev to one year and seven months, while Lev Bakhturin, Andrei Yefremov, Akhmed Magomedkhalilov, and Maksim Skovorodin received sentences of two years and four months.
Magomedkhalilov and Mazhiev were also convicted of property damage motivated by hooliganism. Taking into account time already spent in pre-trial detention, all of them are expected to be released as early as April.
At the same time, the court has not considered the killing of two Ingush security officers — 31-year-old Islam Elmurziev and 41-year-old Adam Almazov — in the same shooting. The materials concerning their deaths were separated into a different case. Russia’s Investigative Committee has suspended the investigation, formally citing the suspect’s signing of a contract with the Defence Ministry to participate in the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The defendant in the murder case was Umar Chichaev, a bodyguard of MP Adam Delimkhanov. At the same time, Chechen bloggers report that Chichaev is currently in Chechnya and, although formally listed as a contract soldier in one of the Akhmat regiment units linked to Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, he is not taking part in combat operations.
The conflict that led to the shooting took place in September 2024 in an area near the Kremlin. According to investigators, several dozen people were involved. More than 30 individuals were detained after the incident, including Chechen security officers Ali Chichaev, Umar Chichaev and Ramzan Ismailov, as well as a businessperson from Chechnya, Idris Balatbaev. Initially, the detainees were charged under several serious articles, including murder, attempted murder, and assault on a law enforcement officer.
Subsequently, the number of defendants was reduced to six, and the more serious charges were dropped. The case considered by the court was limited to episodes of hooliganism and vigilantism. Most of the original suspects avoided criminal prosecution after signing contracts to fight in Ukraine.
The conflict near the Wildberries office unfolded against the backdrop of a corporate dispute over the division of the business between the company’s founders, Tatyana Kim and Vladislav Bakalchuk, who were previously married and had jointly developed the marketplace.
Following the breakdown of their relationship, a dispute arose over control of the company. Media reports indicated that senator Suleiman Kerimov supported Kim, while Ramzan Kadyrov publicly backed Bakalchuk. Ingush MP Bekhan Barakhoev was also named among those interested in the outcome of the dispute.
In April 2025, a court ruled that Wildberries would come fully under Kim’s control.
The shooting near the company’s office occurred at a moment of heightened tensions over control of its assets, when Bakalchuk arrived at the office accompanied by his security personnel. Kim accused her husband of attempting to seize the company. Two people were killed and several others were injured in the incident.
In October 2024, Kadyrov threatened to declare a blood feud against Suleiman Kerimov if he failed to prove his non-involvement in an alleged plot to organise an assassination attempt against him. Kadyrov also declared a blood feud against Barakhoev. The Kremlin declined to comment on these statements. In Daghestan, Kerimov received a number of awards, and public statements were issued expressing support and gratitude for his contribution to the region, without mentioning his conflict with Kadyrov.
In January 2026, Kadyrov met Kerimov in Moscow, published a photograph of them shaking hands and referred to the senator as a ‘brother’. Sources cited by Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe claim that, as part of the reconciliation, Kerimov’s business partners, with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin, are to pay Kadyrov $1.9 billion, with the first tranche reportedly already delivered in cash.
Shota Kincha
