The reputable international arbitration practice of Sayenko ­Kharenko has a commanding position in the market, possessing a formidable portfolio of large-scale and strategically important investment and commercial disputes. The team acted as counsel and Ukrainian law adviser under a variety of institutional rules, including those of the LCIA, SCC, ICC and ICAC. Selected recent highlights include acting for the State of Ukraine, alongside an international counsel, namely Latham & Watkins, in a USD 6.1 billion Energy Charter investment arbitration initiated by the minority shareholders of PJSC Ukrnafta under the Arbitration Rules of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. The team also acts as Ukrainian counsel of Ukraine in a USD 700 million ICSID investment arbitration initiated by a shareholder of air carrier Aerosvit; and recently successfully represented leading Ukrainian agricultural holding MHP, the claimant in the case at the ICAC at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding termination of a multimillion-dollar supply contract with a Saudi Arabian company as well as at local Ukrainian courts in connection with the unsuccessful attempt of the respondent to set aside the arbitral award of the ICAC. Disputes based on FIDIC contracts are among areas of the practice’s focus. The firm also has a strong track record for enforcing arbitral awards in Ukraine and other jurisdictions. The 8-strong team is known for efficient representation of clients and is led by partner Olexander Droug. Volodymyr Yaremko and Andriy Stetsenko are other senior members of the team.

Year on year INTEGRITES demonstrates stable extension of its international arbitration portfolio, which includes both multi-million investment treaty cases and commercial arbitrations in different venues and under different rules (LCIA, ICC, ICSID, SIAC, ICAC (Kyiv), ICAC (Moscow), GAFTA, UNCITRAL, etc.). The team’s standout feature is acting as a lead arbitration counsel. In particular, the team successfully represented the interests of Ukrainian state enterprise Ukrkhimtransamiak in arbitral proceedings against a Russian chemical giant, Togliattiazot, with over USD 190 million at stake stemming from a long-term contract for ammonia transit, and secured its win over the respondent’s application to set aside the award at the Supreme Court of Ukraine. The firm also acts as a Ukrainian law counsel to NPC Ukrenergo in its investment treaty claim against Russia, regarding the expropriation of the power grid, recreational facilities and other property following the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 with USD 650 million at stake. The firm has significant commercial arbitration in its current portfolio. For example, it represented the leading steel plant in Ukraine in USD 187 million multi-party ICC arbitration related to a loan facility agreement. Olena Perepelynska, head of CIS arbitration, is one of the leading figures in the CIS arbitration community and one of the most in-demand arbitrators with a series of appointments over the past 12 months. Dmytro Marchukov leads investment arbitration cases and also heads cross-border litigation. Over the past year he received a number of instructions as a Ukrainian law expert in high-profile cases. For example, he acted as expert witness on Ukrainian law to claimants in two ICSID claims — Optima  Ventures LLC, Optima 7171 LLC, Optima 55 Public Square LLC (controlled by Igor Kolomoisky and ­Gennadiy ­Bogolyubov) against the United States. Highly-­active ­arbitration professional Serhii Uvarov was promoted to partner and the promising and visible Krystyna Khripkova was promoted to counsel.

Ukrainian heavyweight Asters took over significant large-scale international arbitration cases, handling disputes under a wide range of arbitration rules (LCIA, ICAC, VIAC, SCC, AAA, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules), and assisted its clients in enforcing foreign arbitral awards and judgments in Ukraine. The firm represents both investors and respondents in arbitrations arising under bilateral investment treaties. The team is acting as local Ukrainian counsel to Privatbank in connection with its claim brought against the Russian Federation pursuant to the Ukraine — Russia BIT. The firm recently successfully represented ASK Technology Limited, a leading Hong Kong manufacturer of multi-GPU systems for mining, rendering and AI, in a dispute with a Finnish company that was resolved in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, which revolved around a contract for the supply of equipment for mining Ethereum, one of the fastest growing cryptocurrencies alongside Bitcoin. The firm also expands its expertise on FIDIC contract disputes, handling complex disputes with a multitude of parallel proceedings. Markiyan ­Kliuchkovskyi is practice head and lead partner in commercial arbitration. Oleksiy Didkovskiy, co-managing partner, plays a key role in significant arbitral cases related to the Ukrainian banking sector. ­Dmytro Shemelin is known for his deep experience in investment arbitration. The senior team includes ­Oleksandr Volkov and Oksana Legka. Svitlana Chepurna became a general counsel in Privatbank.

Eterna Law has an extensive caseload of high-value claims at the LCIA, ICC, VIAC, NAI, ICAC and other arbitration institutions. The scale of supported arbitration disputes spans shareholders’ conflicts, withdrawal of property, breach of loan agreements and debt recovery. Along with that the firm maintains its traditional presence in commodity arbitrations under the rules of GAFTA, FOSFA, SAOL, LME and LMAA, especially those arising out of sale contracts and COVID-19 related force-majeure. The core focus in 2020 included disputes in agribusiness, IT, banking, transport areas. For example, the firm acts on behalf of Ukrainian Railways JSC, the state monopoly company in the railways field, in a dispute related to the breach of a services contract by its counterparty. The firm also acts for the National Bank of Ukraine in various jurisdictions regarding a multimillion dispute on a surety agreement. The formidable practice is led by Eugene Blinov, a bright and creative arbitration practitioner with strong market support for his professional credentials in oral hearings and good representation work. Oleh Beketov, head of the international litigation practice, regularly acts as an expert in Ukrainian law in significant cases. Mykhaylo Korchynskyy, received the praise of peers for his involvement in commodities arbitration.

Having one of the largest international arbitration practice teams in Ukraine, AEQUO law firm covers international investment arbitration, international and domestic commercial arbitration, and commands recognized strength in energy disputes. The firm represented ­Ukrgasvydobuvannya in USD 700 million SCC arbitration in a dispute over the termination of an oil and gas production joint venture. Following the tribunal decision, the joint venture’s assets were transferred to Ukrgasvydobuvannya, with Misen Enterprises and Karpatygaz compensated for their interests in those assets. The team also currently acts as the Ukrainian counsel for Naftogaz of Ukraine and its subsidiaries in international investment arbitration administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in a dispute against the Russian ­Federation over breach of the Ukraine-Russia bilateral investment treaty due to the expropriation of the assets of Naftogaz of Ukraine in Crimea. Another benchmark win was acting for Olympic Entertainment Group, the leading provider of gaming services in the Baltic States, in a treaty dispute against Ukraine over an expropriation of business due to the controversial and politically sensitive 2009 gambling ban law, when UNCITRAL tribunal ordered Ukraine to pay EUR 7.5 million in damages. The international arbitration practice is led by partner Pavlo ­Byelousov who is dedicated to this practice area along with the cross-border litigation practice. Denis Lysenko, managing partner, and Myroslava Savchuk, counsel, play an important role in arbitration matters. ­Ksenia Koriukalova is an important team member and a promising young practitioner.

ARBITRADE has broad experience of representing clients in arbitration cases under a number of arbitration rules of various arbitral ­institutions. The past year was marked by Dr. Yuliya Chernykh’s involvement as an expert on points of Ukrainian law in investment treaty cases before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), as well as before the High Court of Justice in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales. Most recently she was authorized to provide her opinion on issues related to the acquisition of shares in Ukrtatnafta using promissory notes within the framework of PAO Tatneft v. Ukraine. Among commercial arbitration cases, the firm has a rich portfolio of successful resolution of disputes arising out of contracts for sale and purchase of complex industrial equipment. The team represented a claimant, Promoboronexport, the State Enterprise for Foreign Trade and Investment, specializing in the export and import of military and special-purpose equipment in arbitration proceedings against Polish enterprise WOBI-STAL sp. z o.o., related to the non-delivery of goods before the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce. Another renowned strength of ARBITRADE is its experience in agricultural commodities arbitrations under the auspices of GAFTA and FOSFA. The firm is regularly instructed on arbitration cases as well as pre-arbitral settlement negotiations in disputes arising out of international contracts for the sale and purchase of agricultural commodities. The senior management team includes Pavlo ­Trytenichenko and Dr. Ivan Vashchynets. Dr. Yuliya Chernykh is, apart from her work as a party representative and expert, an active arbitrator with cases under the rules of ICAC at the UCCI, ICC and SCC.

AGA Partners (until May 2020 the firm acted as amalgamated firm of AVELLUM) preserves its leadership position in commodities arbitration, and has built up experience of arbitrations beyond the bounds of agribusiness and trade, including pharmacy, construction and real estate, banking and retail. The firm successfully represented Eastmarket Grain LLP as a seller in GAFTA arbitration at First tier and Appeal proceedings against a Cyprus trading company under a sale contract governed by English law. In addition to numerous GAFTA and FOSFA arbitrations the firm led four arbitrations in the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine, including successful representation of Ferrit Ltd in a debt collection claim against a Hong Kong trading company regarding delivery of coal mining equipment to a Ukrainian mine in Donetsk Region prior to the Russian military invasion in Eastern Ukraine. The team is also active in the area of enforcement procedures after receipt of an arbitral award both in Ukraine and abroad. The firm is involved as a local co-counsel representing Ukraine as the state in the investment arbitration. Ivan Kasynyuk and Iryna Moroz guide the practice, with strategic input from Aminat ­Suleymanova.

This past year was a reboot one for ­AVELLUM’s international arbitration practice. In late May 2020 the firm announced the departure of AGA Partners team and continued cooperation as an alliance. The firm’s caseload maintained solid commercial and investment arbitrations, including disputes arising out of several supply agreements, guarantees and indemnities, shareholder disputes. The firm represented a large Czech industrial manufacturer, Ferrit S.r.o., in four parallel arbitrations which arose out of four supply contracts before the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Partners Mykola Stetsenko and Glib Bondar are involved as Ukrainian law experts in large investment arbitrations. Mykyta Nota and Kostiantyn Likarchuk (previously — ­Kinstellar) rejoined the firm as a counsel and senior partner and practice head, respectively. Being present across all major arbitration cases of the firm, Oleksii Maslov was noted as a new generation practitioner.

Ilyashev & Partners is one of the most recognized Ukrainian law firms for domestic and cross-border dispute resolution, including international arbitrational matters. The firm has a reputable track record of representations before ICAC (Kyiv), LCIA, ICC, SCC, VIAC, arbitrations as well as recognizing and enforcing arbitral awards in Ukraine and abroad. In addition, its partners Roman Marchenko and Mikhail Ilyashev are regularly appointed as experts on Ukrainian law in the most high caliber arbitration cases of the last few years. For example, Roman Marchenko acts as an independent expert on Ukrainian law, appointed by the law firm Fieldfisher, in a lawsuit filed by state-owned Privatbank against Igor Kolomoisky, Gennadiy Bogolyubov and a number of other defendants in the High Court of London. The team recently successfully handled arbitration and cross-border litigation proceedings regarding the collection of loans from the Creative group of companies. The team is currently  representing the interests of State Enterprise Ukrspetsexport in the Permanent Court of Arbitration attached to the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia in a dispute with the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia on the collection of debts from the Ministry under a contract for the maintenance of helicopters, the supply of equipment and training of specialists; and also protected the interests of J.S. Corrugating Machinery Co. Ltd, one of the largest China-based machinery manufacturers, in the recognition and enforcement in Ukraine of two arbitration awards published by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) for the payment by Ukrainian companies of a principal debt. ­Andrey Bychkov is increasingly visible in energy and maritime disputes, as well as in recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. The team also includes Roman Protsyshyn, Sergey ­Nedelko and ­Marina Riashchenko (joined in 2020).

Kinstellar’s Ukrainian office demonstrated its particular focus on post-M&A disputes and protection of assets. The highlight of 2020 was representing a minority shareholder of a large Ukrainian agricultural company operating a land bank in eastern and central Ukraine in ICC arbitral proceedings seated in London, commenced by a sovereign wealth fund in a post-M&A dispute for breach of the shareholders’ agreement and other transaction documentation and for compensation of damages. Another side of the practice was representing Galicia Distillery PJSC in proceedings before Ukrainian courts in relation to recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award rendered by a tribunal in arbitration proceedings under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of American Arbitration Association. Practice head Kostiantyn Likarchuk, partner, and Mykyta Nota, counsel, left the firm in 2020. Olexander ­Martinenko joined from the Kyiv office of CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro ­Olswang as a partner and head of the dispute resolution and commercial practices since October 2020. He acts as an expert in Ukrainian law on a regular basis in the most resonant investment arbitration disputes.

LCF Law Group maintains an investment arbitration caseload, representation in commercial disputes in ICAC (Kyiv), and handles pre-arbitration settlements. In 2020 the firm acted as Ukrainian law counsel to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in arbitration under a FIDIC contract versus Todini Construzioni Generali S.p.a. as well as in investment arbitration versus Olympic Entertainment Group, a Baltic gaming provider. The firm’s team also represented the interests of Danish Banke Elektromotive in arbitration proceedings regarding fulfilling a contract for the development and production of an experimental model before ICAC (Kyiv). Dr. Julia Atamanova heads the practice.

Being renowned for representing the State of Ukraine in investment disputes, and state-owned companies in commercial arbitration proceedings, Lexwell & Partners is customarily retained for large-scale strategic arbitrations. In particular, the firm is the Ukrainian law counsel in an investment dispute between Ukraine and minority shareholders in Ukrnafta, and acts for Naftogaz of Ukraine in LCIA proceedings with Littop Enterprises Limited and others regarding corporate governance of Ukrnafta. The firm currently represents a Ukrainian seed distributor in an international arbitration case at the International Seed Federation against a major French agricultural holding regarding delivered seeds. Another lasting investment highlight is representing the State of Ukraine in international arbitration proceedings under the claim of international investor Mr. Igor Boyko regarding compensation for losses incurred in connection with the violation of property rights to a shareholding in the Zhytomyr Confectionery Factory. Igor Nagai and Zhanna Goriacha are the core members of the team, as led by Andriy Kolupaev.

The team at Redcliffe Partners acts in the main in arbitration under investment treaties, representing the claimant’s side. Sergiy ­Gryshko is a partner and head of dispute resolution. Apart from his practice as a counsel, he acts as an expert on issues of Ukrainian law. The milestone investment case of 2020 was PAO Tatneft v. Ukraine before the High Court of Justice in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court, where Sergiy Gryshko acted as expert on issues of Ukrainian law and procedure for Tatneft.

ANTIKA Law Firm represents clients in a broad range of disputes in arbitrational institutions as well as at all stages of enforcement procedures, including recognition and enforcement of foreign courts and international arbitrations awards. The projects team includes partners Dr. Alexey Kot and Maxim Korchagin. The firm’s partners are also regularly retained as Ukrainian law experts in multimillion arbitration disputes and have good connections among international law firms.

The dispute resolution team at Baker McKenzie’s Kyiv office is involved in representing clients in international commercial arbitration and in court proceedings on recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Ukraine and abroad. Ihor Siusel is lead partner.

The dispute resolution practice of CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Ukraine is headed by partners Maria Orlyk and Anna Pogrebna. ­Oleksandr Protsiuk, counsel, currently advises on a number of cases involving international arbitrations in different jurisdictions. The firm advises a long-standing client in numerous court and arbitral proceedings in Ukraine, including various debt collection cases proceedings against its Ukrainian customers.

The Kyiv office of Dentons acts as an arbitration counsel alongside its Paris office. In 2020 the team represented Misen Enterprises AB in a dispute under the bilateral investment treaty between Ukraine and Sweden, as well as on a joint activity agreement between Misen and public joint-stock company Ukrgasvydobuvannya. The firm also represents an international investor in litigation and potential international arbitration against the shareholders of a Ukrainian company regarding claims of breach of representations and fraud arising from the client’s acquisition of shares in the Ukrainian company. Paris-based partner Anna Crevon and Oleg Batyuk, Kyiv managing partner, lead the practice. The focus of Maksym Sysoiev is on energy-related disputes and developing the practice of investment arbitration in the renewable sector.

Prominent for its domestic litigation performance, Ukrainian law firm EQUITY retains its involvement in cross-border disputes and ­international arbitration cases, also acting on recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in Ukraine. The firm recently acted as a co-counsel alongside Fangda Partners (Beijing) for a Ukrainian producer of cardboard as a respondent in the CIETAC arbitration of an agreement for the supply of equipment from China to Ukraine; and also acted as a co-counsel for a leading US engineering company as a respondent in the SCC arbitration of an agreement for the supply of equipment to Ukraine. Oleg Malinevskyi is lead partner. The team includes Oksana Varakina, counsel, and Maksym Khitrykh, associate.

The Ukrainian office of Swiss-based Fortior Law specializes in solving commercial disputes which arise in the trading of crude oil, petroleum products, grains and other commodities and in the chartering of vessels and carriage of goods by sea, as well as investment arbitration matters. The team is enlisted regularly to act for clients (such as Integral Petroleum, United Petroleum Trading Switzerland, Petrochemical Logistics) in various arbitrations, including the LCIA, LMAA, GAFTA, SCAI and others. Danil Hristich, senior associate, is the practice head.

Odesa-based law firm Interlegal specializes in maritime, shipping, international trade and related commodities arbitration. The team has a pipeline of cases in GAFTA, FOSFA and LMAA. In a recent highlight, the firm acted in the interests of a marine engineering company on non-payment of funds for work performed, via the LMAA and handled some GAFTA arbitrations related to non-payment of funds for the goods. ­Artem Skorobogatov and Alexey Remeslo are the main contacts.

Southern Ukrainian law firm Jurline, which is based in Odesa, is one of the few regional law firms that have experience of accompanying arbitration cases in GAFTA, FOSFA, LCIA, LMAA. Throughout the past 12 months the firm also acted in commercial arbitration. Daria Minchenko acts as practice head.

For the last two years Yuriy Katser, head of legal at KPMG Law, acted as the Ukrainian law expert in four large-scale international arbitrations, including two international arbitrations involving Ukrnafta under LCIA and SCC arbitration rules.

Ukrainian dispute resolution boutique VB PARTNERS increased its expertise in investment arbitration. The team is representing, alongside international company Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP, the interests of a shareholder in Delta Bank Belarus regarding compensation for losses incurred as a result of nationalization of business on the territory of the Republic of Belarus at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Arzinger is a renowned heavyweight in arbitration matters. The firm’s core outlook is for investor-state and energy disputes. The lead partner is Markian Malskyy, who specializes in legal support in investment projects as well as international commercial and investment arbitration. Oksana Karel, practice co-head, is noted for her strong procedural skills^[1].

The arbitration community continually notes the leading role of Irina Nazarova, managing partner of ENGARDE, for her solid reputation as an arbitration practitioner acting as both counsel and arbitrator.

Dr. Irina Paliashvili, RULG — Ukrainian Legal Group, is consistently retained as a Ukrainian expert in international arbitration, and possesses unique experience of energy projects, oil and gas regulation and production sharing agreements in Ukraine, Russia and the CIS region.

INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRMS*

 

Clyde & Co acts as a legal counsel of the State of Ukraine in the Philip Morris International and others vs. Ukraine case, and provides legal services to Ukraine in the investment arbitration case Sinequanon Investment vs. Ukraine. The team includes partners Ivan Urzhunov, Hery Frederic Ranjeva and Nadia Darwareh.

Headquartered in Washington DC, international law firm ­Covington & Burling has extensive experience of handling matters in Ukraine and for Ukrainian entities, including a number of investor-state arbitrations. In particular, the team acts for Naftogaz of Ukraine in a USD 5 billion investment claim against the Russian Federation under the Ukraine-Russia BIT for Russia’s expropriation of Naftogaz’s assets in Crimea, also acting for several other Ukrainian investors in disputes under the Ukraine-Russia BIT. For example, the firm represented DTEK Krymenergo on claims valued at over USD 500 million against the Russian Federation for the expropriation of its energy supply and distribution business in Crimea. Another core competence to note is public international law disputes. The team represents the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine before the International Court of Justice in its case against the Russian Federation to hold Russia accountable for its violations of international law in Crimea and eastern Ukraine under the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. The firm also acts for the government of Ukraine in two sea law sea cases under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. Other core competences include international commercial arbitration and white-collar investigations. Washington-based partner Marne Cheek heads the desk. The key partners are ­Jonathan ­Gimblett, Gregory Lascelles, Craig Pollack and Jeremy Wilson (­London), David Zionts and Nikhil Gore (Washington DC), David Pinsky and Erin Thomas (New York).

Eversheds Sutherland provides legal services related to protecting the interests of Naftogaz of Ukraine in foreign jurisdictions (including foreign state authorities, organizations, institutions, foreign courts, foreign financial institutions, before other entities and individuals) in all respects related to the execution of an arbitral award in favor of Italia Ukraina Gas S.p.A. (IUGAS), and potential arbitration proceedings upon a potential claim from IUGAS (or its successors) at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

Fieldfisher represented minority shareholders in Ukrnafta PJSC against Ukraine in investment arbitration brought at the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce under the Energy Charter Treaty; acts for Gilward Investments BV against Ukraine in an investment treaty arbitration on the expropriation of the claimant’s investment in a Ukrainian airline under ICSID rules. Arik Aslanyan, partner, is head of the Russia and CIS group, which is based at the firm’s London office.

Hogan Lovells has a consistent presence in complex, high-stake litigation and arbitration proceedings related to Ukraine. The firm’s international arbitration team is experienced in both investment treaty and commercial arbitration cases. In particular, the firm is enlisted by Ukrainian high-wealth individuals for representation in shareholder disputes, and also acts for Ukrainian corporations in arbitration regarding breach of English law facility agreements. The team is based in London, and includes partners Michael Davison, Alex Sciannaca, Ben Hornan.

Holland & Knight acted as a legal counsel to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the Oksana Baiul vs. Joseph Lemire, Olympic Champions LTD (Delaware), Olympic Champions Ltd (BVI), State of Ukraine and Does case. The firm was also hired as Ukrainian legal counsel in the Mykola Ivanenko and others vs. Ukraine case.

King & Spalding is hired as legal counsel to Ukraine in the Motor Sich shareholders vs. Ukraine case. The team includes Thomas Sprange, ­Robert Savage, Kateryna Frolova, Ella Gasan Zade.

Latham & Watkins (London) is legal counsel to the State of Ukraine in the Littop Enterprises Limited, Bridgemont Ventures Limited and Bordo Management Limited vs. Ukraine case at the Energy Charter investment arbitration under the Arbitration Rules of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, in which the claim was USD 6.1 billion. The firm also represents Ukraine’s interests in the Gilward Investments B.V. vs. Ukraine case ICSID investment arbitration initiated by a shareholder in Aerosvit, a Ukrainian partly state-owned airline company. The claim ran to USD 700 million.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is legal counsel to the State of Ukraine in international arbitration proceedings regarding compensation for losses incurred in connection with the violation of property rights to a shareholding in the Zhytomyr Confectionery Factory (Mr. Ihor Boyko vs. Ukraine case). London-based partner Alex Gerbi is experienced in disputes relating to Ukraine, Russia and other CIS territories.

Sherman & Sterling (Paris) has an impressive track record of representing the State of Ukraine in investment arbitrations. In particular, the firm was hired as legal counsel for Ukraine in the State Development Corporation VEB.RF vs. Ukraine case. The firm also acts as French counsel to the Ministry of Justice in the Todini Construzioni Generali S.p.A. vs. State Road Agency of Ukraine case and handles representation of the State of Ukraine in Emergofin B.V. (Netherlands) and Velbay Holdings Ltd (Cyprus) vs. Ukraine at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, which arose out of the Supreme Court’s decision (2015) to expropriate the claimants’ majority stake in the Zaporizhzhya Aluminium Plant.

Van Bael & Bellis’ London office handles all forms of international dispute resolution, including investment arbitration, commercial arbitration and cross-border litigation. Nicholas Lawn, head of international dispute resolution at the London office, has a particular focus on investment arbitration. He has special regional expertise in disputes related to CIS countries and has acted on a number of Ukraine-related commercial disputes both before arbitral tribunals and the English High Court.

Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS (Norway) acted as legal counsel to NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine with regard to providing protection for the rights and interests of Ukraine during the settlement of the dispute between NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and PJSC Gazprom, and provided legal services related to the representation of Naftogaz in all relations with Italia Ukraina Gas S.r.l. (or its successors), including, but not limited to, the new arbitration proceedings on the claim of Italia Ukraina Gas S.r.l to NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and the enforcement of the arbitration award in favor of Italia Ukraina Gas S.p.a.

Winston & Strawn acts as legal counsel of the State of Ukraine in the ­Tatneft vs. Ukraine case as well as in the Republic of Tatarstan, the ­Ministry of Land and Property Relations of the Republic of Tatarstan case. Maria Kostytska, partner of the Paris and Washington DC offices, is the leading counsel.

Withers is a legal counsel to Ukraine in the Todini Construzioni Generali S.p.A. vs. State Road Agency of Ukraine case. It also provided legal services to protect the interests of Ukraine in the Olympic Entertainment Group AS vs. Ukraine case.

Chinese Yingke Law Firm is legal counsel to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the Xinjiang Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd vs. State Road Agency of Ukraine case.

 

* This piece of research is based on submissions of international law firms and information available in public sources, in particular, the Official Resource on Public Purchasing in Ukraine — ProZorro.

^[1] These firms have not submitted information for the present research.