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.

CMS Russia has advised the VTB Group on its acquisition of a 25.1% stake of the iCITY business center from a subsidiary belonging to Russian businessman Alexey Bogachev.

The Moscow office of Clifford Chance has advised AO Raiffeisenbank, Sberbank, Bank Saint-Petersburg, and Credit Bank of Moscow on their provision of a RUB 15 billion five-year loan to the Ural Mining & Metallurgical Company.

Vulic Law has advised dairy product company Mlekara Sabac on the construction of a factory in Russia.

EPAM has announced it is launching a new Natural Resources practice, to be headed by returning Partner Mikhail Kazantsev, the former Rosgeologia Deputy Director General and Head of Legal (as reported by CEE In-House Matters on June 25, 2021).

CMS has advised PJSC Uralkali on its debut USD 1.25 billion sustainability-linked pre-export finance facility arranged by a consortium of banks, with ING Bank acting as lead sustainability coordinator. Dentons reportedly advised the lenders.

Dentons has advised VTB Capital on its USD 75 million acquisition of a minority stake in car-sharing company Delimobil Holding SA. Cleary Gottlieb advised the seller.

Glatzova & Co, working with global counsel Hengeler Mueller, has advised Chinese tool manufacturer Greatstar Group on its acquisition of the Behrens Group. According to Hengeler Mueller, Alrud, Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak, and Wolf Theiss advised the buyer on the Russian, Polish, and Austrian aspects of the deal and Barnes & Thornburg, Bonelli Erede Lombardi Pappalardo, Bruun & Hjejle, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Jeantet, Macfarlanes, Mattos Filho, Niederer Kraft Frey, Schjodt, Uria Menendez, and Van Bael & Bellis advised the buyer in various other jurisdictions.

Heuking Kuhn Luer Wojtek has established a Russian/CIS Desk. 

Baker Botts has advised Russian liquified natural gas producer PAO Novatek on the sale of a 10% participation interest in Arctic Transshipment LLC to TotalEnergies SE.

Alrud has advised German chocolate manufacturer Ludwig Schokolade on countering imports of counterfeit goods resembling its products into the Russian Federation and protecting intellectual property.

DLA Piper has advised the Renaissance Insurance Group on the sale of its 100% stake in Renaissance Pensions to the non-state pension fund of Russia’s Sberbank. Herbert Smith Freehills reportedly advised the buyer.

Liniya Prava has advised the Moscow Exchange on its acquisition of a 70% stake in electronic commerce platform Inguru, with an option to increase its stake to 100% within the next five years.

Alliance Legal CG has successfully represented the Ekaterinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, on a pro bono basis, in a RUB 4 million dispute with the Ekaterinburg City Administration over the diocese’s subsidiary liability for the obligations of its Orthodox Kindergarten. The case was brought before the Arbitration Court of the Sverdlovsk Region.