CMS' Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka has been appointed as Vice-President of the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Aside from Surdek-Janicka, 33 lawyers from CEE were appointed as members and alternate members of the court.

Dentons has advised the EuroChem Group on a project financing for the construction of an ammonia plant in Kingisepp, Russia, from a bank syndicate consisting of VEB.RF, Sberbank, VTB Bank, Gazprombank, and Otkritie FC Bank. Linklaters Moscow advised the banks.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has advised US-based chemical corporation 3M on Russian legal aspects of personal data processing and website cookies.

DLA Piper has advised Gazprom Export on the acquisition of Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG from Gazprombank.

Debevoise & Plimpton has advised the Ultra Group on the establishment of a joint venture with Sredneuralsk Copper Smelter to form and operate an ammonium sulfate production plant.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has advised the MTT Group on the sale of MTT to Mobile TeleSystems PJSC for RUB 5 billion.

Latham & Watkins has advised Russian investment company Sistema on VTB Capital’s RUB 7 billion minority investment in Binnopharm.

Debevoise & Plimpton has advised Russian Norilsk Nickel on a buyback of up to 3.4% of its issued outstanding shares for a total amount of approximately USD 2 billion.

Former CMS Russia Head of M&A Vladimir Zenin has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a Partner of the firm’s Global Corporate Practice, based in the Moscow office. He is followed by a team of three Associates. 

Morgan Lewis has advised Baring Vostok Capital Partners on its acquisition of a 12% stake in 12 Storeez. 

Noerr has advised Irish clinical research company Icon Plc on EU merger clearance for its acquisition of PRA Health Sciences. Schima Mayer Starlinger advised Icon on Austrian law, while A&L Goodbody, Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Macfarlanes, Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier, and Gianni & Origoni advised on Irish, US, UK, French, and Italian law, respectively. 

Pavel Sadovsky, Head of the IP/TMT practice in the Moscow office of Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has been promoted to Partner.

In the first half of 2021, we at VEGAS LEX completed a survey among 100+ foreign lawyers to reveal myths concerning dispute resolution in Russia. In most questions, the respondents were asked to choose “True” or “False” on the proposed statements.

Dentons has advised the Black Sea Trade and Development bank on a seven-year USD 40 million corporate loan to Romanian aluminum producer Alro, part of Vimetco Group, for its capital investment program. Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners and Simmons & Simmons advised Alro.

International arbitration is a highly popular instrument of the dispute resolution, and, therefore, the actual recovery of debts is a matter of high importance. Meanwhile, creditors often face problems in the process of recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Russia. Statistics for 2020 shows that 87 of 244 claims submitted to Russian courts were dismissed (35.6%). This means that each third claimant cannot count on receiving the funds in reality.

Dentons has advised Prosveshcheniye, a Russian educational integrator, on an equity transaction with Sber, VEB.RF, and RDIF, as a result of which each shareholder will hold a 25% stake in JSC Prosveshcheniye. 

Timur Khasanov-Batirov, former Head of Compliance for Russia & CIS at the Stada Group, has returned to private practice by joining Eterna Law as Partner and Head of the firm’s Compliance Practice.

The Moscow and Istanbul offices of Dentons have advised the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank on its provision of a seven-year EUR 75 million loan to the Hayat Kimya Group for the construction of a new hygienic tissue and paper towel factory in Kaluga, Russia.