On 27 June 2025, the President of Ukraine signed decree No. 422/2025 enacting the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (“NSDC”) “On Synchronisation of Sanctions Pressure of Ukraine, the European Union and Other Members of the Group of Seven on the Russian Federation and Related Entities”, dated the same day (“Decision”).

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we dug deeper into a discussion point that came up during our last event: During our annual General Counsel Summit held in Prague recently, we’ve learned that even with the inflation in CEE having hovered around 14-20% in recent years, legal fees have remained static or have even decreased in some jurisdictions. Given that, how has your firm managed to consistently deliver high-quality service under these constraints?

On 14 June 2025, amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Organisation of Labour Relations under Martial Law” came into effect. Please note that the provisions of this law apply during the period of martial law.

Avellum has advised Grupa Pracuj on obtaining merger clearance from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for its further investment in Work Ukraine, the operator of Work.ua.

On 1 April 2025, Resolution of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine (“Commission”) No. 28/21/1933/K03 dated 6 March 2025 (“Resolution”) entered into force. The Resolution establishes a new procedure for the disclosure of regulated information by securities issuers during martial law.

Avellum has advised Concorde Capital on its acquisition of Beiken Energy Ukraine.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised the Government of Canada on a new CAD 5 billion loan to Ukraine. Avellum reportedly advised the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance.

In the high-stakes world of M&A transactions, deal certainty is everything. Parties invest significant time, resources, and effort into negotiating agreements, yet even the most well-structured deals can fall apart due to logistical hurdles and trust issues.

On 21 February 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, by Resolution “On Amendments to the List of Activities Encouraged by the Creation of Diia City Legal Regime” No. 204 (the “Resolution”), expanded the list of eligible activities for Diia City residency.

Avellum, working with Latham & Watkins, has advised Vodafone Ukraine on its consent solicitation regarding USD 500 million 6.20% loan participation notes due 2025. Sayenko Kharenko and Linklaters advised JP Morgan as the solicitation agent.

Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko talks about M&A in Ukraine in 2025.

CEE Legal Matters is proud to introduce the latest in our Comparative Guides series. This one focuses on Real Estate in CEE.

Contributed by Avellum.

Avellum, working with White & Case, has advised the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine on a USD 20 billion loan from the U.S. Department of the Treasury provided under the EUR 45 billion G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans for Ukraine initiative.

Avellum has advised Ukrnafta on obtaining approval from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for the acquisition of Shell’s Ukrainian business – a network of petrol stations.

The past year has demonstrated that an ongoing conflict is not an obstacle to development and investment. Despite infrastructure being targeted by shelling, Ukraine’s real GDP grew by 4% in the first nine months of 2024, with expectations that this figure will reach 4.3-4.6% in the coming years. To maintain this growth, Ukraine must actively engage private investments to rebuild its damaged infrastructure and assets.

As Ukraine continues to resist the Russian Federation’s invasion, its M&A market in 2024 demonstrates both resilience and adaptability. While the early months of the full-scale war in 2022 likely represented an all-time low for dealmaking, today’s landscape appears far more dynamic. Although reaching and surpassing pre-war levels of activity will take time, the market is showing clear signs of recovery.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around we turn our attention to setting up new practices and ask: When launching a new practice, what is your go-to strategy – do you look at internal team members to spearhead it, or are you more likely to turn to lateral hires? Why?