Cross-Border Disputes in Russia:
Depth Where It Counts

Pravo-300 · 8 years |

Best Lawyers Russia |

Kommersant |

1,000+ matters |

15+ years

Practice
Est. 2009 · Practice No. 01

About This Practice

For a foreign company with a Russian legal problem, the choice of local counsel is rarely a choice between good and bad. It is a choice between counsel who understand the Russian procedural system at the level of mechanism — who know why a particular interim relief application was filed in Novosibirsk rather than Moscow, and what that decision cost the client six months later — and counsel who know Russian law in the abstract. At Vetrov & Partners, our disputes practice has been the firm's primary discipline since 2009. It is not a service we added when commercial conditions changed. It is what we were built to do, and it is where our most experienced partner spends the majority of his working hours. For clients who have instructed Russian counsel before and been disappointed, we understand why — and we are willing to explain, during an initial call, what our approach looks like in practice.

Who We Act For

The clients who instruct us on cross-border dispute matters

Our instructions in this practice come principally from international companies with Russian counterparties or subsidiaries, overseas law firms requiring Russian procedural support, and individual clients with enforcement or recovery objectives in Russia.

Client situations we act for:

You are General Counsel of a European or Asian manufacturing group. Your Russian distributor has ceased payments under a long-term supply agreement and is showing signs of financial difficulty. You need to understand whether interim relief is available in Russia before assets are dissipated, and whether a parallel arbitration filing is the right strategy or a distraction.

You are a partner at an international law firm. You have obtained an ICC, LCIA, SIAC, or HKIAC award against a Russian respondent. The award has not been voluntarily satisfied. You need Russian-qualified counsel to manage recognition proceedings before the Russian commercial courts and, if necessary, enforcement against specific assets.

You are in-house counsel at a foreign group that has received a claim from a Russian counterparty in a Russian arbitrazh court. The claim is frivolous, or its value is inflated, but it creates a real exposure risk. You need Russian litigation counsel who will manage the defence and advise on counter-claim strategy — not counsel who will simply report to you what happens.

You are the financial controller of a foreign-owned Russian subsidiary. Management at the subsidiary level has entered into transactions that appear to disadvantage the foreign shareholder. You need a preliminary opinion on the legal exposure and available routes — including derivative claims, shareholder dispute proceedings, and personal liability of the local directors.

You are a distressed debt investor or trade creditor. Your Russian debtor is already in insolvency proceedings or is likely to enter them shortly. You need to understand the hierarchy of creditor claims, the timetable for distributions, and whether transactions in the period before insolvency can be challenged.

You are a foreign law firm partner advising a client on a matter involving Russian witnesses, Russian-situated evidence, or a Russian-law governed contract. You need a Russian counsel who can function as a genuine counterpart — producing written opinions, attending procedural hearings, and coordinating across time zones and procedural systems.

What We Do

Our practice covers the full spectrum of contentious work arising from cross-border commercial relationships with a Russian element. We do not approach commercial disputes as transaction advisers who litigate occasionally. Our disputes practice is primary — it is what we were built to do.

Our practice covers the full spectrum of contentious work arising from cross-border commercial relationships with a Russian element. We do not approach commercial disputes as transaction advisers who litigate occasionally. Our disputes practice is primary — it is what we were built to do.

Practice directions within Cross-border Disputes & Arbitration

Russian procedural law (Article 90 of the Arbitrazh Procedure Code) permits courts to grant interim measures — including freezing orders over bank accounts, restrictions on share transfers, and prohibitions on the disposal of immovable property — at any stage of proceedings, including before the main claim is filed. Timing is frequently determinative: an application made before the respondent receives notice of the main claim preserves more optionality than one filed later. We advise on the threshold requirements, draft applications, and appear at the hearing.

Interim relief applications.

We act as primary Russian litigation counsel for foreign companies bringing or defending commercial claims in Russian arbitrazh courts. This includes contract disputes, tort claims, and claims arising from the activities of Russian subsidiaries or joint venture partners. We manage the full procedural cycle — from the statement of claim through to cassation and, where appropriate, supervisory review before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

Commercial litigation in Russian courts.

Beyond arbitral awards, Russia enforces foreign court judgments on the basis of international treaty (bilateral treaty or multilateral convention) or, in a narrower set of cases, on the basis of reciprocity. We advise on the available routes and the realistic prospects of enforcement in specific cases, and we manage the recognition application where the prospects justify it.

Enforcement of foreign court judgments.

Where a client's matter involves simultaneous proceedings in Russia and one or more foreign jurisdictions, we provide the Russian procedural track as part of a coordinated strategy. This includes collecting witness evidence in Russia for use in foreign proceedings (including under the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad), advising on the interaction between Russian and foreign interim relief orders, and managing the risk of inconsistent judgments.

Parallel proceedings support.

We act for foreign shareholders in disputes arising from joint ventures, shareholders' agreements, and the corporate governance of Russian companies. This includes derivative claims, minority protection actions, and proceedings relating to the unlawful exclusion or dilution of a foreign shareholder's interest. The legal framework is complex: Russian corporate law does not provide all of the remedies available in common-law jurisdictions, and strategy needs to be calibrated to what Russian courts will actually grant.

Shareholders' disputes and corporate conflict.

We advise foreign companies on their options when a Russian counterparty fails to perform under a commercial contract — whether that contract is governed by Russian law, a foreign law, or contains an arbitration clause. We assess the available routes, advise on limitation risk (the general limitation period under Russian law is three years under Article 196 of the Civil Code, with specific rules for different claim types), and manage proceedings to resolution.

Contractual disputes with Russian parties.

The practical question for most clients at the outset is not which route is theoretically available — it is which route, given the specific facts and the respondent's likely behaviour, is the most direct path to a satisfactory outcome. That is the question we address in the first conversation.

By the Numbers

Representative Matters

Selected instructions in Cross-border Disputes & Arbitration

The matters described below are anonymised to preserve client confidentiality. Specific details are available to prospective clients during initial consultation, subject to conflict checks.

HEADLINE: Acted for European trading company in recognition of ICC arbitral award before Russian commercial courts — enforcement achieved against Russian respondent's bank accounts.

BACKGROUND: A European commodity trading company had obtained an ICC award against its Russian counterparty following a failure to deliver under a long-term supply contract. The Russian respondent contested recognition in the arbitrazh court, raising procedural objections to the composition of the arbitral tribunal.

OUR ROLE: We filed recognition proceedings in the relevant arbitrazh court and managed the substantive arguments on recognition, including the rebuttal of the respondent's public policy objection. Simultaneously, we applied for a freezing order over the respondent's bank accounts and a restriction on the transfer of its real property.

OUTCOME: Recognition was granted within five months of the initial filing. The freezing orders were maintained through the recognition process. Enforcement against the respondent's bank accounts was completed in the following quarter.

European trading company · ICC award recognition · Russian commercial court · enforcement achieved

ICC Award Recognition  ·  Interim Relief  ·  Europe → Russia  ·  Commercial Court

HEADLINE: Russian procedural support for international litigation team in parallel commercial dispute involving Russian-situated joint venture.

BACKGROUND: A manufacturer from a major Asian jurisdiction became involved in a dispute with its Russian joint venture partner following an alleged breach of the joint venture agreement. Proceedings were commenced simultaneously in an international arbitration forum and in the Russian arbitrazh courts.

OUR ROLE: We provided the Russian procedural track as part of a coordinated strategy directed by the client's international legal team. Our work included obtaining witness statements from Russian-based individuals, advising on the interaction between the Russian proceedings and the arbitration, and managing an interim relief application in the Russian court to restrict the disposition of the joint venture's Russian assets.

OUTCOME: The Russian interim relief application was granted within three weeks of filing. The witness statements obtained in Russia were admitted into the arbitration proceedings without objection.

Asian manufacturer · parallel proceedings · Russian arbitrazh court and foreign jurisdiction

Parallel Proceedings  ·  Joint Venture Dispute  ·  Asia → Russia   ·  Arbitration Support

HEADLINE: Acted for foreign trade creditor in Russian insolvency proceedings — claim recognised in full, subsidiary liability action against controlling shareholder commenced.

BACKGROUND: A foreign supplier to a Russian distributor found itself an unsecured creditor following the distributor's filing for insolvency proceedings under Russian law. The insolvency had followed a period of asset transfers to affiliated parties in the months before the filing.

OUR ROLE: We filed the creditor's claim in the insolvency proceedings and secured its inclusion in the register of creditors. We then analysed the pre-insolvency transactions under Articles 61.2 and 61.3 of the Insolvency Law and filed challenges to two transfers that appeared to have been made at undervalue during the suspect period. In parallel, we commenced subsidiary liability proceedings against the controlling shareholder.

OUTCOME: Both transaction challenges were upheld at first instance. The subsidiary liability proceedings are ongoing.

Foreign creditor · Russian insolvency · claim recognition and subsidiary liability

Insolvency — Creditor Side  ·  Transaction Challenge  ·  Art. 61.2   ·  Subsidiary Liability

HEADLINE: Russian evidence collection support for international arbitration — witness statements and document production under the Hague Convention.

BACKGROUND: An international law firm acting for a foreign claimant in LCIA arbitration proceedings required witness evidence from Russian-based individuals and document production from a Russian corporate entity. The evidence was material to the quantification of the claimant's loss.

OUR ROLE: We managed the process for obtaining witness statements from three Russian-domiciled witnesses, advising on the practical and legal constraints on evidence collection in Russia. We also coordinated a document production request directed at the Russian entity through a Hague Convention request, managing the procedural steps and liaising with the relevant Russian court.

OUTCOME: Two of the three witness statements were obtained and admitted into evidence. The document production request was substantially complied with within the timescale required by the arbitral tribunal.

Foreign law firm partner · evidence collection Russia · Hague Convention

LCIA Arbitration Support  ·  Witness Evidence Russia  ·  Hague Convention   ·  Document Production

HEADLINE: Defeated claimant's lost-profit claim of approximately $77K in commercial proceedings — claim dismissed in full on causation.

BACKGROUND: A Russian company brought a lost-profit claim against our client following the termination of a commercial relationship, seeking compensation for anticipated future revenue under Article 15 of the Civil Code. The claim was premised on a projection of revenues that the claimant asserted would have been earned had the relationship continued.

OUR ROLE: We managed the defence before the arbitrazh court, challenging the claimant's quantification methodology and its evidence of a causal link between the termination and the alleged lost profits. We produced an expert analysis demonstrating that the revenue projections were speculative and unsupported by the contractual terms or the trading history between the parties.

OUTCOME: The lost-profit claim — valued at approximately $77K — was dismissed in full. The court accepted our causation and quantification arguments at first instance.

Commercial Dispute

Commercial Dispute  ·  Lost-Profit Defence  · Art. 15 Civil Code   ·  Russia — Arbitrazh Court

"The clients we serve best in disputes arrive before the procedural clock has run. When options remain open — before limitation has crystallised, before assets have moved, before an insolvency filing changes the priority of claims — the range of available strategies is materially wider. If you are reading this page, the right moment is probably now"

Our managing partner responds to initial enquiries personally.
We are already at our desks when London opens.

info@vetrovpartners.com
Response: under 2 hours (Mon–Fri 09:00–20:00, Sat 10:00–15:00 UTC+7)

The Partner

Vitaliy Vetrov has led Vetrov & Partners' disputes practice since the firm's founding in 2009, acting principally for foreign creditors, international companies, and overseas shareholders in proceedings before Russian commercial courts and in international arbitration matters with a Russian procedural element. He has managed disputes across the Russian arbitrazh court system from first instance through cassation review before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

His practice in cross-border matters encompasses recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, interim relief applications, parallel proceedings support for international law firms, and shareholders' disputes in Russian-incorporated entities. He advises regularly on the interaction between Russian procedural law and common-law procedural requirements, including the collection of evidence in Russia for use in foreign proceedings.

Authority by Association:
We regularly act as Russian counsel alongside international litigation teams, managing the Russian procedural track while lead counsel directs the overall strategy.

Recognised by Pravo-300   ·  in Best Lawyers Russia   ·  Quoted in Kommersant

The Team

Every matter in this practice is supervised by the practice lead partner and supported by a dedicated fee-earner from our team.

Recognition

We are a Russian-qualified law firm. Our recognition is from Russian legal directories. We do not hold rankings from Chambers Global or Legal 500 in this practice area.

How We Work

Our engagement process for cross-border dispute matters.

We close every matter with a written memorandum covering what happened, what the outcome was, and what — if anything — requires ongoing monitoring. If the matter has taught us something that may affect your position in the future, we include it. We treat the close of a matter as the beginning of the relationship, not its end.

Step 5 · Matter close (commitment level: complete)

The practice lead partner remains your primary contact throughout the engagement. We do not pass matters to junior fee-earners after the engagement letter is signed. Status updates are provided in writing after each material step — not on request, but as standard practice. For matters involving overseas counsel, we establish a communication protocol at the outset so that reporting lines are clear.

Step 4 · Execution (commitment level: ongoing, with exit points)

For matters we accept, we provide a written scope of work and a fee estimate before any billable work begins. This document is in plain English. It states what we will do, what we will not do, and what the matter is likely to cost. You review it. You decide. There is no pressure and no expiry date.

Step 3 · Written scope (commitment level: read a document)

If the initial exchange suggests a fit, we offer a thirty-minute call with the practice lead partner — complimentary and without obligation. This call has one purpose: to give you enough information to make an informed decision about whether to instruct us. We will tell you if your matter is better suited to a different firm or a different type of counsel. We do this because the alternative — accepting an instruction we cannot serve well — is worse for both parties.

Step 2 · Complimentary call (commitment level: thirty minutes)

Send us three paragraphs describing your situation. That is all we ask at the outset. We do not require forms, questionnaires, or retainer agreements to begin a conversation. We will respond within two hours during business hours (UTC+7) with an honest assessment of whether your matter falls within our practice — and, if it does, what the next step looks like.

Most clients who contact us have already decided they need Russian counsel. The question they are actually asking is whether we are the right firm. We try to answer that question during Step 1, not during a lengthy onboarding process.

Step 1 · Initial enquiry (commitment level: minimal)

Fees

How we structure our fees

Our standard billing model is hourly, with rates reflecting the seniority of the fee-earner and the complexity of the matter. Rates are quoted in Euros or US Dollars, invoiced monthly, with payment terms of fourteen days.

For disputes and enforcement matters, we are willing to discuss alternative arrangements — including fixed-fee phases for defined procedural steps, capped retainers for ongoing advisory mandates, and, in appropriate circumstances, success-fee components for enforcement matters where the recovery value justifies it. Our cost base allows us to apply partner-level attention to matters that a larger firm would route to associates — without the overhead premium that typically accompanies that level of access.

We do not quote fees on this page because every matter is different. We provide a fee estimate within twenty-four hours of receiving your enquiry.

We invoice in EUR or USD. Local currency billing (RUB) is available for Russian-entity clients upon request.

Questions

Frequently asked questions about Cross-border Disputes & Arbitration
The answers below are written for a reader with commercial legal experience. They are accurate as of the date of this page's last review.

Last reviewed: May 2026

Related Practices

Corporate Governance for Foreign Shareholders

Many cross-border disputes originate in corporate governance failures within a Russian subsidiary or joint venture. Our corporate governance practice advises foreign shareholders on structural protections and remedies at the pre-dispute stage.

Business Crime Defence

Cross-border commercial disputes occasionally involve allegations of criminal conduct — fraud, theft, or misappropriation — particularly where a company is challenging the actions of former management. Our Business Crime Defence practice operates alongside the disputes team where the two tracks intersect.

Asset Tracing & Recovery in Russia

Obtaining a judgment or award is one step. Locating and enforcing against Russian-situated assets — particularly where the debtor has attempted to move them — requires a separate set of investigative and enforcement skills.

Restructuring & Insolvency for Foreign Creditors

When a cross-border dispute intersects with a Russian counterparty's insolvency, creditor strategy requires specialist insolvency counsel in addition to litigation expertise. Our restructuring team acts on the insolvency track in parallel with the disputes track.

Further Reading

A step-by-step account of the recognition and enforcement process — from petition to writ — and the points where outcome is most influenced by counsel quality.

By Vitaliy Vetrov · May 2026 · 7 min read

Enforcing Foreign Arbitral Awards in Russia: The Procedural Map for 2026.

Practice Analysis

Analysis from our Cross-border Disputes team

When a dispute has a Russian element, the question is not whether to commence Russian proceedings — it is how to structure and coordinate them relative to the principal forum.

By Vitaliy Vetrov · May 2026 · 6 min read

Parallel Proceedings Involving Russia: A Practical Guide for International Counsel

Practice Analysis

The pre-service window is the most consequential tactical choice in a recovery mandate. This article explains what is available, what the threshold is, and what the applicant can realistically expect.

By Vitaliy Vetrov · May 2026 · 5 min read

Interim Relief Before a Russian Court: When to Apply and What to Expect.

Practice Analysis

Make an Enquiry

ALTERNATIVE CONTACTS
Email: info@vetrovpartners.com
Phone (office): +7 (383) 310-38-76
Mobile / WhatsApp / Telegram: +7 (983) 510-38-76
Telegram channel: t.me/vitvetcom
Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–20:00 · Sat 10:00–15:00 (UTC+7)
Response: Under 2 hours (business hours)

ADDRESS:
Deputatskaya Street 46, Office 1191, 19th Floor
Novosibirsk, Russia

Vetrov & Partners is a Russian-qualified law firm. For matters governed
by foreign law or requiring local admission in other jurisdictions,
we collaborate with trusted counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Vetrov & Partners · Boutique Law Firm · Established 2009 · Russia

The contents of this page are provided for informational purposes and
do not constitute legal advice. No solicitor–client relationship is
formed by reading this page. Vetrov & Partners is registered and
practising in Russia. © 2026 Vetrov & Partners.