Relatives of Vladislav Baumgertner, former CEO of Uralkali (and one of Russia’s top top managers), told of his mysterious disappearance in Cyprus.
They categorically reject the suicide theory. Sources don’t rule out the possibility that his disappearance could be a repercussion of the "war" between Senator Suleiman Kerimov and Ramzan Kadyrov over control of Wildberries. Baumgertner is a close friend of Kerimov, and the initial tension between him and Kadyrov arose over the situation with Uralkali.
According to those close to the top manager, on January 7, he left his home in Limassol by car for an unspecified meeting at his office. Baumgertner took only his work phone with him, leaving his home phone behind. The work phone was still working on January 8, and someone even used it to answer messages. Then the phone stopped working. The building where the businessman’s office is located is not equipped with surveillance cameras, so his relatives tracked his approximate travel directions using cameras installed on neighboring cottages. They then contacted the police with these recordings and are now learning further information from the media. According to local media, police determined that Baumgertner’s phone last signaled from the village of Pissouri. Police, rescuers, and volunteers are currently concentrating their search there.
Pissouri is known for the limestone cliffs of Cape Aspro (150-200 meters high, with the sea at its foot), leading to speculation that the top manager may have committed suicide. However, relatives categorically denied this theory in conversations: "He was very active, positive, joked a lot, and talked about big plans for 2026. Everything was very stable for him."
Our project’s sources recalled a story we recently covered in detail in connection with this incident. At one point, it was Ramzan Kadyrov and Adam Delimkhanov who secured the transfer of Uralkali to Kerimov’s control. In exchange, they were promised an equal share in the sale of the company. Kerimov placed his close friend Baumgertner at the helm of Uralkali. The current senator then clashed with the Belarusian authorities, and when Baumgertner arrived in Minsk at the invitation of the Belarusian prime minister, he was arrested. Kerimov himself was placed on an international wanted list. Western media reported at the time that Kerimov was deeply distressed by the incident and privately stated that he should have been Baumgertner’s replacement. The Belarusian prime minister invited Kerimov to a meeting, but Kerimov sent Baumgertner in his place.
As a result, Kerimov sold the company to Dmitry Mazepin. Minsk then transferred Baumgertner to Moscow.
In recent years, he hadn’t worked for Kerimov’s structures (he was CEO of Global Ports, Alevo, and the Alcohol Siberian Group), but sources say the senator and Baumgertner maintained a friendly relationship.
As for Kadyrov and Delimkhanov’s share of the Uralkali sale, Kerimov gave them nothing. The Chechen leaders preferred to pretend the deal was forced and unprofitable, and that they had voluntarily given up their stake. But, deep down, a bitter taste remained.
Despite this, until 2024, Kadyrov congratulated Kerimov on holidays on social media, calling him "dear brother." Then, a full-blown "war" erupted over control of Wildberries. On one side were Kadyrov and Delimkhanov, on the other were Kerimov and his unofficial partner, the head of the presidential administration, Anton Vaino.
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Things reached a point where, at the height of the war over Wildberries, Ramzan Kadyrov announced at a meeting with Chechen security officials that an assassination attempt had been ordered against him. The head of Chechnya also touched on the events at the Wildberries office, mentioning Suleiman Kerimov, as well as State Duma deputies Bekkhan Barakhoev and Rizvan Kurbanov. "It was a business situation. Bekkhan Barakhoev, Suleiman Kerimov, and Rizvan Kurbanov are businessmen themselves. They’re not just trying to take this woman’s business away; they’ve ordered an assassination against me. There are witnesses, there are people they ordered the assassination from, asking how much you’d pay to accept the contract (to kill Ramzan Kadyrov - Ed.). I declare a blood feud against Bekkhan Barakhoev, Suleiman Karimov, and Rizvan Kurbanov, unless he proves otherwise - Ed.," he said in Chechen.
No such proof has been found.
However, Kadyrov and Delimkhanov unexpectedly backed down. Delimkhanov informally claimed that the "chief honcho" (Putin) had ordered it.
According to sources, Kerimov also mentioned this. "Kadyrov simply needs Putin’s permission to talk to me. And he won’t get it," the senator stated privately.
Kadyrov won’t dare violate Putin’s ban, but it doesn’t apply to Kerimov’s close friends. And if Baumgertner isn’t found alive, it would be an extremely painful blow to the senator.
