To prevent foreign investors from abusing their rights in relation to Russian strategic companies, the prior-clearance rules have changed to qualify transactions for a stake in this type of company. The change was made to protect strategic companies from undisclosed foreign interference and has resulted in a more transparent foreign investment environment in Russia.

Eversheds Sutherland has advised the Cherkizovo Group on its acquisition of Compas Foods LLC, a chicken processing facility in the Tula region of Russia that is a subsidiary of Cargill Inc. Tomashevskaya & Partners reportedly advised Cargill on the transaction.

“As compliance practitioners, we had to go through a major shift recently with going online, which is quite a new thing in our sector,” says Timur Khasanov–Batirov, Head of Compliance, Russia & CIS at the STADA Group.

Russia's KIAP Attorneys at Law has announced the opening of a Family and Inheritance Law Practice.

Lawyers from White & Case's Moscow office have joined the firm's multi-office team advising a consortium of French and international investors on the global reorganization of the relationships and obligations between Arc Holdings, its shareholder, bondholders, and public authorities.

DLA Piper has been appointed as a legal partner to provide pro bono legal assistance to the Russian Chapter: the Russian hub for the global platform on climate change that operates under the auspices of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative.

Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev & Partners has helped aluminum producer Rusal register as a new resident of the Special Administrative Region on Oktyabrsky Island in the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

DLA Piper’s Moscow office has advised VNV Global on its approximately USD 2 million investment in NaPopravku.

Olga Gulyaeva has joined Legrand as Director of Legal and Compliance Officer.

DLA Piper Moscow has advised the ADG group on the acquisition of Russian cinema operator Modern.

Partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s legislative process has slowed down, says CMS Moscow Partner Anton Bankovskiy. “However,” he says, “the ‘regulatory guillotine,’ – the ongoing process of amending or eliminating the many laws remaining from the country’s Soviet past – has picked up pace.” In addition, he says, “the State Duma recently passed new laws introducing the ‘regulatory sandbox’ framework, which enables companies and entrepreneurs to implement innovative technologies, unrestricted by the current legal limits related to those technologies.” 

Rybalkin, Gortsunyan & Partners, working with Debevoise & Plimpton and Henry King QC as part of PJSC Tatneft’s legal team, has successfully defended the right of Russian lawyers to claim attorney-client privilege in English court proceedings.

On 8 September 2020, Russian and Cypriot authorities signed* a Protocol amending the applicable double taxation treaty (DTT).

Hogan Lovells has advised Netflix on its partnership with Russia's National Media Group.

DLA Piper has advised Sberbank Investments on its secured mezzanine loan to Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region and Prosveshcheniye Group for the construction of a training and educational center.

Debevoise & Plimpton has advised longstanding client PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel on its USD 500 million Eurobond offering due 2025 with a coupon rate of 2.55% per annum.

Starting from 1 January 2019, Russia has been implementing a programme of “waste reform” to radically change its municipal waste-management system across the country. Many of the scheduled preparation and organisational arrangements have already been implemented or are in the pipeline.

For our Checking In feature, we reach out to partners and heads of practice across CEE to learn how specific practice areas are faring in their jurisdictions. This time around we asked firm Energy experts: What, in your view, is the most effective scheme currently in place in your jurisdiction to attract investments in renewable energy? If you had to pick one, what additional step from the regulators do you believe would have the most positive impact?