Tatyana Kim
Tatyana Vladimirovna Kim | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tatyana Vladimirovna Kim October 16, 1975 Moscow oblast, Russia |
| Other names | Tatyana Vladimirovna Bakalchuk (previously) |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Years active | Early 2000s–present |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Wildberries |
Tatyana Vladimirovna Kim (; born 16 October 1975), previously known as Tatyana Vladimirovna Bakalchuk (), is a prominent Russian businesswoman, recognized as the founder and CEO of Wildberries, the largest online retail platform in Russia and the nation’s first self-made female billionaire.[1] As of July 2024, Forbes valued her fortune at approximately US$7.4 billion.[2]
Early life
Born on 16 October 1975 in Moscow oblast into a Koryo-saram family, Kim completed her studies at Kolomna University. Although she initially intended to pursue design studies in Moscow, the aftermath of the 1998 Russian financial crisis led her back to teaching English.[3][4]
In the early 2000s, she met Vladislav Bakalchuk, an entrepreneur who founded Utech ISP. After the birth of their first child in 2004, she launched Wildberries, starting out by reselling clothing from Otto and Quelle catalogues.[3][4][5]
Although Wildberries' official narrative claims Bakalchuk started without prior capital or expertise, initial financing reportedly came from her husband, who sold UTech to Gazprombank for $7.5 million, providing several million dollars to support the venture.[6]
Reports suggest that the couple also managed a second-hand clothing shop within the “Dynamite” mall located in Vykhino-Zhulebino District, offering European apparel through an online platform. This outlet was associated with their earlier UT Design studio’s D-Luxe catalogue. However, Wildberries has denied any connection to this second-hand store.[7]
Career
By 2006, Wildberries had established an office in Milkovo within the Moscow region, staffed by couriers, call center operators, and IT professionals. The business focused on selling apparel from smaller European brands as well as surplus inventory from well-known labels. Wildberries was among Russia’s pioneers in offering fixed delivery fees, complimentary try-on services, and a network of pick-up points equipped with fitting rooms. By 2020, it had expanded to over 7,000 such locations.
During the financial downturn between 2014 and 2016, Wildberries transitioned to a platform-based business model akin to Amazon’s structure. The company experienced substantial growth fueled by a surge in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020.
In 2018, Tatyana Bakalchuk registered Wildberries Holdings Ltd in Cyprus. Ownership of Wildberries is shared between Tatiana and Vladislav Bakalchuk. According to Data Insight, by 2022 Wildberries ranked as Russia’s leading online store. The firm reached a valuation of $1 billion in 2019, elevating Bakalchuk to Russia’s second female billionaire status. Her net worth increased to $1.4 billion by 2020 and soared to $13 billion by 2021. Influential figures such as Denis Manturov and Mikhail Mishustin are believed to provide support for Wildberries.
In 2020, under Manturov’s leadership, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade drafted regulations subsidizing logistics costs for Russian marketplaces lacking foreign shareholders—a condition met solely by Wildberries.
That year also saw Bakalchuk acquire Standard-Credit Bank from Samvel Karapetyan's Tashir Holding, subsequently rebranding it as Wildberries Bank. Following the acquisition, reports indicated a decline in the bank’s assets; critics have suggested that this move facilitated cash withdrawals from the retailer.
Between 2021 and 2022, Bakalchuk held a seat on VTB Bank’s supervisory board—a bank known for its pro-Kremlin stance. In December 2021, she joined the leadership of the All-Russia People's Front.
In 2021, e-commerce was added by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development to its list of categories for preinstalled apps; Wildberries was the only company fulfilling these requirements.
In 2022, allegations arose from the Ministry of Industry and Trade accusing Wildberries of distributing counterfeit goods. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine that year, Bakalchuk engaged with the Federal Antimonopoly Service regarding efforts to legalize parallel imports amid the withdrawal of foreign companies from Russia.
Wildberries’ sales turnover nearly doubled in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching approximately 1.669 trillion rubles—accounting for roughly one-third of Russia's total online retail sales during that period.
In April 2023, Bakalchuk announced intentions to adopt a new Russian-language brand name for Wildberries due to advertising restrictions on foreign words. In 2022, the marketplace briefly rebranded its website under the name Yagodki as part of a marketing initiative.
Corporate conflict involving spouse
In June 2024, Wildberries declared its merger with Russ, the largest advertising firm in Russia. On July 21, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, disclosed that Vladislav Bakalchuk had reached out to him regarding "significant issues both within the family and the business founded by the family." The two men were reportedly close friends maintaining frequent communication. Kadyrov posted a video featuring Bakalchuk outlining the dispute, labeling it a hostile takeover attempt and pledging to notify national authorities.
Tatyana Bakalchuk addressed the situation on her Telegram channel, stating, "This is not a hostile takeover. It is a divorce. Everything was coordinated with Vladislav—he was present at the presentation of the merged company’s new organizational structure." Forbes reported that Vladislav stepped away from Wildberries in early July. On July 24, he announced plans to claim half of the company’s shares as part of divorce proceedings.
On April 17, 2025, the Savelovsky District Court in Moscow ruled in favor of Tatyana Kim (her legal name post-marriage) in the division of assets case. The court awarded her Vladislav’s 1% share in LLC Wildberries, granting her full ownership of 100% of the company. Additionally, she retained sole possession of LLC Wildberries Bank and all personal financial assets.
Sanctions
In 2021, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Tatyana and Vladislav Bakalchuk as well as Wildberries due to their sale of Russian military apparel and literature opposing Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland included Wildberries and Bakalchuk on its sanctions list because of his ties to VTB Bank.
Forbes ranking
Tatyana Bakalchuk stands as Russia’s wealthiest woman and, alongside Yelena Baturina, is one of only two female billionaires in the nation. In December 2021, Forbes highlighted her as the global billionaire with the highest wealth growth after Wildberries' business expanded by over 1,000% that year. Until December 31, 2019, she held complete ownership of Wildberries but transferred a 1% stake to her husband Vladislav Bakalchuk. This positioned their family as Russia’s richest family group, surpassing even the Rotenberg family. The share transfer was a deliberate legal strategy enabling Wildberries to establish subsidiaries more efficiently and strengthen its corporate framework.
Personal life
Tatyana met Vladislav Bakalchuk in the early 2000s; they married soon afterward and have seven children together. In July 2024, amid disagreements regarding Wildberries’ planned merger with Russ Group, Vladislav sought assistance from Ramzan Kadyrov against Tatyana; she then initiated divorce proceedings. In September 2024, Vladislav was detained on murder charges following an armed operation at Wildberries’ Moscow headquarters. After these events, Tatyana reverted to her maiden name. Their divorce was finalized in 2025.
The Bakalchuk family remains deeply involved in Wildberries: Tatyana’s sister Maria Andreeva is employed at the company along with other relatives such as Albina Tsoy and Maxim and Nadezhda Kim. Her brother Yuri Tsoy, former CEO of Starprofi, has connections with Sergei Tsoy—vice president of Rosneft and former press secretary for Yury Luzhkov. Sergei Tsoy’s wife Anna Kim (also known as Anita Tsoy) is reportedly a close family acquaintance of Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft.
External links
- Tatyana Bakalchuk (Profile on Bloomberg)
- Tatyana Bakalchuk (Telegram account)
- ↑ How Tatyana Bakalchuk took Russia’s ecommerce throne, Financial Times, 11 May 2020
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtinkoff-bio - ↑ Rapoza, Kenneth. "Russian Wildberries Shows Tech Companies Increasingly Domestic, Less Foreign". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:4 - ↑ "Настоящая история Wildberries. Как Татьяна Бакальчук стала царицей e-commerce и кто ей в этом помог". thebell.io. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-04-06.