Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, numerous commercial disputes have arisen. In a (further) significant ruling dated 1 June 2023, the Higher Regional Court Berlin (Kammergericht or the “Court”) reinforced the integrity of arbitration by confirming the admissibility of arbitration to the exclusion of (Russian) state courts (Case No. 12 SchH 5/22)….
On 4 July 2024, Russia’s Arbitrazh Court of the North-Western Region (cassation) confirmed the earlier decision of the Arbitrazh Court of Saint Petersburg (first instance) to grant an anti-suit injunction prohibiting German Uniper Global Commodities SE (“Uniper”) and Methanhandel GmbH (“Metha”) from continuing ad hoc arbitration proceedings in Stockholm (Case No. А56-16212/2024). The reasons behind…
In a decision of 1 June 2023 (Case No. 12 SchH 5/22) that was praised as landmark, the Higher Regional Court of Berlin (Kammergericht) (“KG”) addressed some of the legal issues arising from the complex dispute between Siemens and Russian Railroads (“RZhD”) concerning the unilateral termination of an electric trains maintenance and repair contract by…
On 26 July 2024, the Russian Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling (the “Ruling”) outlining a novel stance on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. This jurisprudential shift, which is decidedly not pro-arbitration, erects new barriers for persons domiciled in countries deemed “hostile” or “unfriendly” by Russia to obtain their consideration in the…
On 13 June 2024, Italian Arbitration Day took place in Rome. The full-day conference saw a large number of arbitration practitioners dealing with the issue of globalization and geography in the arbitration. This post offers an overview of the key takeaways from the discussion. Introduction: The Past, Present, and Future of Globalization After…
As part of the 2024 London International Disputes Week (“LIDW”), Kirkland & Ellis hosted an event titled “Panel Session on Sanctioned Countries”. The panel, comprised of Anna Bradshaw (Peters & Peters), James Freeman (A&O Shearman), Maya Lester KC (Brick Court Chambers), David Lorello (Covington & Burlington), Jon Newman (Kirkland & Ellis), and Dara Shagal (Pinna…
In a world where present geopolitical tensions continue to worsen and the current global order continues to show signs of disintegration, sanctions have emerged as a key strategic tool to pressure third countries to comply with their international law obligations and further prevent additional violations of international agreements. With this comes disputes in a myriad…
The eighth edition of the Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”) started this Monday with Addleshaw Goddard hosting a roundtable event on “The Evolution of Arbitration in the Central Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regions: A Roadmap for the Future”. The discussion included experts from various background: Sébastien Jean (Associate Director of the Geoeconomics and Geofinance Initiative,…
On 1 November 2023, the English High Court (“EWHC”) delivered its decision in Hulley Enterprises Limited v. Russian Federation. The EWHC dismissed the jurisdictional challenge raised by the Russian Federation (“RF”), which contested the enforcement of arbitral awards in favour of the former majority shareholders of OAO Yukos Oil Company (“Yukos”). Despite the RF asserting…
The Fourth Edition of the Washington Arbitration Week (WAW) took place from 27 November to 1 December 2023. This post highlights the panel titled ‘The Ukraine Crisis and Post-War Scenarios’. Jose Antonio Rivas, SJD (co-founder of WAW/Xtrategy), introduced the panel by remarking that despite the fact that the Russian invasion had already lasted for almost…
Security for costs can be an effective tool to protect the respondent from an arbitration in which a potential costs claim against the claimant is irrecoverable. While the specific requirements for a security for costs order are determined by the applicable institutional rules or arbitration laws, the respondent applying for security for costs will generally…
The requirement that a tribunal be impartial is a fundamental procedural principle. It is not surprising, then, that under Art. 18 of the Russian Arbitration Act, arbitration proceedings are conducted, first and foremost, based on the principle of impartiality and independence of arbitrators. Although the Russian International Arbitration Act, based on UNCITRAL Model Law 1985,…
The landscape for Russia-related disputes in London has changed significantly in the last year. The panel of Egishe Dzhazoyan (King & Spalding), Katia Finkel (Baker & McKenzie), Valery Knyazev (Kroll) and Tatiana Minaeva (RPC) moderated by Baiju Vasani (Twenty Essex) discussed shifting trends, challenges arising from international sanctions, enforcement issues, and potential opportunities for dispute…
Much has been written on countermeasures enacted by States against Russia (e.g., here, here, here), but to the extent that States’ measures in response to Russia’s breaches of international law have violated the protections owed to Russian private investors, can States still claim that these measures are lawful countermeasures? And, if and when these Russian…
Although the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted almost everywhere and in-person events have returned to full swing, Kyiv Arbitration Days 2022 (KAD), the most famous Ukrainian arbitration event, was still held online. The title of the conference – “After the war: The legal battles” – speaks for itself. While the war is still ongoing and…
On 24th of February 2022, the Russian Federation commenced a full-scale and open invasion of Ukraine after annexation of Crimea and eight years of hiding behind its puppet republics, the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The main difference between the start of armed conflict in the Donbas region in 2014 and the start of…
The year 2022 saw French and Dutch courts upholding arbitration awards which condemned Russia for breaches of the 1998 BIT between Russia and Ukraine (“Russia-Ukraine BIT”) through actions in the Crimea peninsula after its annexation in 2014. The arbitration cases in the context of which the awards were issued (the “Crimea cases”) have a common…
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created an environment ripe for controversy and disputes, some of which may be resolved in arbitration. International sanctions against Russia have been previously discussed on the Blog from the perspective of the EU (here and here), the US (see here) and in relation to potential investment claims (in particular under…
Over the past few weeks, Russia has announced a “partial mobilisation,” has illegally annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, and has repeatedly threatened to use weapons of mass destruction, thereby ruthlessly escalating its war of aggression against Ukraine. In response, the EU has imposed its eighth package of sanctions against Russia…
On 21 July 2022, the European Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/1271 amending Decision 2014/512/CFSP and Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1269 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine. One of the amendments introduced by the European Council appears to have assuaged the concerns of arbitral institutions…
Following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, dozens of states imposed sanctions against Russia. In response, Russia imposed or threatened to impose severe countermeasures on foreign investments associated with such “unfriendly states”. In this regard, several news outlets reported that Russia is in the process of implementing legislation that will interfere with foreign investments in…
On May 2, 2021, the ICC Austria organized a seminar on investment protection in Russia in light of its limited-scope investment agreements and the ongoing military crisis. The key speakers were Dr. Herfried Wöss, a partner of Woess & Partners LLC and founder of the Investment Arbitration Forum, and Prof. Dr. Nikos Lavranos, Of Counsel at…
The commencement of the war in Ukraine triggered the imposition of unprecedented sanctions affecting almost all sectors of the Russian economy. Many foreign companies operating in Russia ceased or temporarily put on hold their business activities. In response, the Russian government adopted several retaliatory measures. This post offers an overview of these measures and their…
The Russian aggression in Ukraine has not only brought immense human tragedy, but also unprecedented uncertainty upon the European energy markets. Gas supply has emerged as a particularly weak spot of the entire European economy, being massively overdependent on Russian supplies. When Russian President Vladimir Putin issued the infamous Presidential Decree No. 172 of 31…
