ALRUD Team successfully advises VEON on the exit from the Russian Market via sale of VimpelCom (Beeline brand) to Russian top management
VEON is a major telecommunications operator in the CIS and several Asian countries that provides communications to more than 150 million users every day. VimpelCom (Beeline brand) was previously part of VEON Group.
The ALRUD team advised VEON on comprehensive legal support throughout all the stages of the transaction:
on the initial stages of the transaction, the ALRUD team advised VEON on general issues related to the structuring of the transaction and advised on the auction sale process with several potential buyers;
ALRUD lawyers subsequently supported VEON with negotiating transaction documents with the Russian top management of VimpelCom led by Alexander Torbakhov. This included complex issues associated with structuring the redemption of VEON Eurobonds taking into account Russian and international regulatory restrictions and a disruption in communication between the National Settlement Depository and Euroclear/Clearstream;
on the final stages of the transaction, ALRUD represented VEON in negotiating commercial terms of the brand’s division and the operating activities of VEON Group and VimpelCom, as well as in complex issues involving the finalization of the transaction (including interaction with the registrar and broker).
Supporting such a major and multi-faceted transaction would not have been possible without the full-service concept of ALRUD law firm. We not only provide comprehensive, high-quality legal assistance, but also integrate our services into our clients’ strategic goals.
The ALRUD team that worked on the project under the guidance of Corporate and M&A Practice Partner Sergey Khanaev and Head of the Corporate and M&A Practice Alexander Zharskiy included a cross-functional team from the Corporate, Competition/Antitrust, Commercial/IP and Tax practices: Partner German Zakharov, Senior Associate Anna Grosheva, Senior Associate Ksenia Erokhina, Senior Associate Daniil Lozovsky, Senior Associate Sergey Artemiev, Senior Associate Kristina Akalovich, Associate Eva-Maria Shakhmaeva, Associate Yulia Malchenkova and Associate Olga Yuz.
12 October 2023
Andrey Zharskiy, Alexander Zharskiy, and Alexander Kleschev spoke at the conference «M&A Deals in Russia: Through Difficulties to "Completion"», organized by AEB with the support of ALRUD
On May 23, 2023, the Association of European Businesses (AEB) held a conference «“M&A Deals in Russia: Through Difficulties to 'Completion'».
The conference was organized by the AEB Finance and Investments Committee, chaired by Andrey Zharskiy, Partner of Corporate and M&A Practice in ALRUD, with the sponsorship support from ALRUD.
Alexander Zharskiy, Partner, Head of Corporate and M&A Practice in ALRUD, moderated the first session which focused on the M&A market results, trends, and forecasts for 2023. Alexander Kleschev, Senior Associate of Corporate and M&A Practice in ALRUD, spoke at the second session on financial issues in M&A transactions.
More information about the event can be found here.
24 May 2023
ALRUD experts held the webinar "Foreign Business in Russia: How to manage your divestment in 2023?"
On February 9, experts of Corporate/M&A Practice held the webinar 'Foreign Business in Russia: How to manage your divestment in 2023?'
It has been almost a year since foreign companies started divestment of their Russian assets. During this period ALRUD has been successfully steering the clients through complex and ambiguous legal landscape providing full service legal support at every stage of exit process.
Alexander Zharskiy, Partner and Head of Corporate and M&A Practice, Sergey Khanaev, Partner of Corporate and M&A Practice and Alexander Kleschev, Senior Associate of Corporate and M&A Practice, discussed:
Key trends of divestment transactions during 2022 and estimations for 2023
Overview of transaction participants (i.e. potential bidders, financing parties, GR, IBs, appraisers)
Genesis and snapshot of Russian counter-sanctions regulations applicable to exit scenarios
Specifics of M&A transaction documents and lessons to learn for 2023.
09 February 2023
ALRUD experts held the webinar “Foreign Business in Russia: Practical Aspects of Exit Strategies. Impact of latest Russian counter-sanctions regulations”
On October 6, 2022, experts of Corporate/M&A and Competition/Antitrust Practices held the webinar “Foreign Business in Russia: Practical Aspects of Exit Strategies. Impact of latest Russian counter-sanctions regulations”.
Alexander Zharskiy, Partner and Head of Corporate and M&A Practice, Sergey Khanaev, Partner of Corporate and M&A Practice, German Zakharov, Partner of Competition/Antitrust Practice, Alexander Kleschev, Senior Associate of Corporate and M&A Practice and Anna Grosheva, Associate of Corporate and M&A Practice summarised recent market experience for strategies and options considered and implemented by foreign investors in Russia.
The speakers gave overview of legal and practical aspects that should be taken into consideration, including the following:
Exit strategies and options;
Payment of dividends;
Using cash of Russian companies;
Liaising with Russian authorities and examples of consents;
Key aspects and legal effect of Presidential Decree No. 618;
Legal regime under the Presidential Decree No. 618 and Presidential Decree No. 520;
Legal and practical consequences of Presidential Decrees violation. Legal initiatives.
The webinar was a great success with the audience.
06 October 2022
Alexander Zharskiy spoke at the webinar “Crisis Update: Sanctions and Countermeasures. Session on M&A”, organized by AEB
On 9 September 2022 Alexander Zharskiy, Partner, Head of Corporate and M&A Practice, spoke at the webinar of the Association of European Business on “Crisis Update: Sanctions and Countermeasures. Session on M&A”.
This session was dedicated to M&A: transaction trends 1h2022 & outlook 2h2022. Alexander spoke on “Key deal terms on the exit of international companies from the russian market – fire sale specifics”.
More information about the event can be found here.
Recording of the event in Russian is available here.
The Association of European Businesses is the main representative body of foreign investors in Russia. Founded in 1995, the AEB is an independent non-profit organisation of over 500 European and Russian companies.
09 September 2022
ALRUD Conducts Survey of M&A Market in Russia and CIS
ALRUD Law Firm and the international research, analysis and news agency Mergermarket conducted an Exclusive Survey of the M&A market in Russia and the CIS in late 2021 to coincide with ALRUD’s 30th anniversary and presented the results of the survey at a separate webinar.
The insights gained from the survey are based on the responses of 100 respondents to over 20 questions and are backed by analytical and statistical data.
We conducted our survey among practitioners from investment banks and PE firms, in-house counsels and legal advisors.
The survey presents an outlook for the M&A market in Russia and the CIS in 2022, the key drivers and challenges that parties involved in M&A deals might face, how the market is developing, trends in the industry as well as legal hurdles in M&A transactions. This material will provide an in-depth understanding of the market and is of practical use to both M&A experts and businesspeople.
Following the link to read this survey.
The ALRUD Corporate Practice team has become one of Russia's market leaders over its 30-year history, and is regularly engaged for major corporate deals.
Mergermarket is one of the leading international information and analytical agencies for the M&A segment, with a wide network of journalists and analysts specializing in M&A issues that covers 67 locations across Europe, North & South America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific area.
14 February 2022
Webinar: “Results of an Exclusive Survey of the Russian and CIS M&A Market” co-hosted by ALRUD and Mergermarket
In late 2021 ALRUD Law Firm together with the international research, analysis, and news agency Mergermarket conducted an exclusive survey of the Russian and CIS M&A market to coincide with ALRUD’s 30th anniversary.
Its insights are based on the responses of 100 respondents to over 20 questions and are backed by analytical and statistical data.
We conducted our survey among practitioners from investment banks and PE firms, in-house counsels, and legal advisors.
We present the results of our research, and invite you to take part in our webinar:
“Russia and CIS M&A Market Survey Results”
8 February 2022 l 15:00-16:00 (Moscow time)
During the webinar, ALRUD Partners and Mergermarket Global Managing Editor Nick Cheek, will discuss:
Russian and CIS M&A market outlook for 2022
Key drivers and challenges M&A deals participants will face
Development results and industrial focus trends
Respondents accounts of legal hurdles in M&A deals
Key speakers:
Alexander Zharskiy, PhD in Law, Partner, Head of M&A/Corporate practice, ALRUD Law firm
Anton Dzhuplin, Partner, ALRUD Law firm
Andrey Zharskiy, PhD in Law, Partner, Advocate in Russia, Solicitor in England and Wales, ALRUD Law firm
Nick Cheek, Global Managing Editor, Mergermarket
The ALRUD Corporate Practice team has become one of Russia's market leaders over its 30-year history, and is regularly engaged for major corporate deals.
Mergermarket is one of the leading international information and analytical agencies for the M&A segment, with a wide network of journalists and analysts specializing in M&A issues that covers 67 locations across Europe, North & South America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific area.
Language: English, simultaneous interpretation into Russian.
Participation is free of charge. Click here to register your interest.
Registration is required and is considered valid only after confirmation from our side.
31 January 2022
Registration for the Annual "Mergers and Acquisitions in Russia and CIS" Conference on 25-26 November 2021 is now open
For the 13th year Annual “Mergers and Acquisitions in Russia and CIS” Conference will gather from around the globe the world's leading experts in economics and law and they will discuss the latest emerging developments and hot topics in Russian and CIS M&A law.
The event is supported by the IBA Corporate and M&A Law Committee, takes place on
25-26 November 2021 and will be online-only conference this year.
As last year, the Co-chairs of the M&A Conference will be Alexander Zharskiy, Partner ALRUD; Officer, IBA Corporate and M&A Law Committee and Vice Chair, IBA Current Legal Developments Subcommittee, and André Dufour , Managing Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais; Co-Chair, IBA Corporate and M&A Law Committee.
This year, the agenda covers the most relevant issues in the area of Mergers and Acquisitions:
Trends and developments in M&A.
M&A Hot Topics For Fast-Growth Companies: Reforms needed to keep Russian law competitive.
Disputes in M&A deals – helicopter view.
Private Equity and VC: current trends and specifics in CIS.
Already, companies and top lawyers, including the following, have confirmed their participation:
Alexey Milevsky, Investment Director, Head of M&A, Mail.ru Group.
Artem Afanasiev, Vice President, Legal Affairs and GR, OZON.
Fedor Smyk, Head of Corporate Development & M&A, OZON.
Dmitry Donov, General Counsel, NLMK Group.
Varvara Kolesnikova, Head of International Legal and Corporate Matters, VkusVill.
Pavel Vlasov, Vice President for Corporate Development, Yandex.
Maxim Uryash, Executive Director, Advance Capital.
Mikhail Bekker, Director, Elbrus Capital Funds.
Dmitri Sedov, Co-Head of Goldman Sachs Russia and CIS.
Mikhail Kireev, Senior Vice President, Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Anton Dzhuplin, Partner, ALRUD Law Firm.
Alan Kartashkin, Managing Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.
Andrei Dontsov, Partner, White & Case.
Evgeny Raschevsky, Partner, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.
Konstantin Kroll, Partner, Dentons.
Alexander Demuth, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Holdings.
A detailed program can be found here.
Participation at the event is free of charge. To attend, please register for the event on
25 November: here and for 26 November: here. Join us!
15 November 2021
ALRUD confirms leading positions in the IFLR1000’s 31st 2021/22 edition
On August 25, 2021, international ranking agency IFLR1000 published the results of EMEA rankings that represent IFLR1000's 31st 2021/22 edition. The rating evaluates law firms in different areas.
ALRUD law firm is again top ranked for M&A, Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency, Project Finance, PPP, Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, Project development: Mining and Energy.
Individual nominations in IFLR1000:
Alexander Zharskiy, Partner and Head of the Corporate and M&A Practice, and Anton Dzhuplin, Partner of the Corporate and M&A, Banking and Finance practices are “Highly regarded” in the rating.
Sergey Petrachkov, Partner and Head of the Dispute Resolution and Restructuring/Insolvency Practices, and Magomed Gasanov, Partner of Dispute Resolution, Restructuring and Insolvency Practices, and Head of White Collar Crime, Compliance and Investigations are nominated in the category “Rising star partner”.
Artur Chernykhov, Associate of the Dispute Resolution and Restructuring and Insolvency Practices, and Ekaterina Mayorova (Rogacheva), Associate of the Banking & Finance Practice, are mentioned as “Rising star” in the rating.
Congratulations to the ALRUD team!
IFLR 1000 is one of the leading international legal publications. The publication's specialists annually conduct market research around the world, on the basis of which they make a rating of the best practicing lawyers and law firms.
25 August 2021
ALRUD strengthens its positions in the international ranking IFLR1000
ALRUD has once again taken high positions in M&A, Banking, Capital Markets, Restructuring and Insolvency, Project Finance and Project Development (Mining, Power, PPP/PFI) in the international ranking of law firms IFLR1000 of the International Financial Law Review.
ALRUD has improved its results and moved up in Restructuring and Insolvency and Project Development: Mining.
Partners Alexander Zharskiy (‘Highly Regarded’ in M&A, Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency), Anton Dzhuplin (‘Highly Regarded’ in M&A, Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency, Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences, Social Infrastructure), as well as Associate Ekaterina Mayorova (Rogacheva) (‘Rising Star’ in Banking) are recommended in the individual rankings.
The IFLR1000 is the guide to the world's leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers. The IFLR1000 has been producing legal market intelligence since 1990 and remains the only international legal directory dedicated to ranking law firms and lawyers, on the basis of financial and corporate transactional work.
For more information click here.
01 October 2020
.png)
.png)