An entity linked to Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky has failed in an unusual attempt to halt the enforcement of a US$1.1 billion award against Russia – as it races to collect on its own treaty award compensating it for expropriated assets in Crimea.

Integrites has successfully defended the interests of Dominoni, an Italian manufacturer of agricultural machinery, in an unfair competition claim made to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

Integrites has successfully represented the interests of AKW Ukrainian Kaolin Company before the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine regarding an alleged infringement by the rail operator in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine.

Integrites has successfully defended Orlen Lietuva in a UAH 1.5 million dispute with the Zhytomyr office of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine.

Integrites has successfully protected the interests of Lifelong Meditech, an Indian producer and exporter of medical equipment, in a safeguard investigation initiated by the Ukrainian producer Hemoplast concerning the import of syringes in Ukraine.

Integrites has represented Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine in a dispute with a former energy supplier who filed a claim against one of the company's stores demanding that it be fined for changing its electricity supplier.

COVID-19 has severely impacted the economy and labour migration. Many foreign citizens employed in Ukraine had to leave the country and work from their homes abroad.

The so-called BEPS Law (No. 466-IX) changed corporate profit taxation rules in Ukraine. The majority of its provisions entered into force on May 23, 2020. Others will become effective later on.

Upon lifting of the quarantine rules, many companies start to resume their activity. All of them intend to renew activities with minimum expenses and maximum comfort for their employees. Many companies will look for optimisation options. Below the INTEGRITES team summarises the main solutions available under the effective laws of Ukraine.

Quarantine restrictions implemented by the Ukrainian Government due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a sensible impact on the business in Ukraine, which can’t disappear without any trace. A lot of companies tried or are still trying to find a reasonable solution in order to reduce expenses on staff, as well to optimize their business processes and revise organizational structures.

Integrites has advised Sibelco on the acquisition of Ukrainian clay producers Euromineral LLC and Kurdyumovsky Plant PrJSC. The seller was advised by in-house counsel Yana Petrova.

The quarantine which followed the spread of the COVID-19 in Ukraine has fundamentally changed conditions for doing business in Ukraine. Some companies suspend their work, others reduce staff and/or employees' salaries to keep operations going in crisis times. To comply with Ukrainian law, it is important to formalise labour relationships correctly. What are the options for business in Ukraine during quarantine?

Integrites has successfully defended the interests of renewable energy producer EuroСape Ukraine in a dispute against the Head Office of the State Tax Service in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

Integrites has helped Agro Group, a Ukraine-based sugar producing company, complete a competition investigation project involving the sugar beet processing market initiated by the regional department of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine in the country's Chernihiv region.

“The Russian Government has been very active in addressing concerns of business regarding inadequate regulatory control that has been increasing over last years,” says Andrey Ryabinin, Partner at Integrites in Moscow. “Several declarations have been made in this respect. As part of the reform known as 'regulatory guillotine' the Government is expected to eliminate in 2020-2021 several thousand outdated and excessive regulations in various industries regarding technical standards and requirements in business practice, most of which date back all the way to the Soviet times.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is making a significant impact on international commerce with Ukrainian counterparties involved. Interrupted supply chains of goods (especially if they were partly or fully produced in China), inability to provide services, perform works during quarantine, and to conduct regular business operations are just a few problems that lots of companies have encountered.

The list of force majeure circumstances under Ukrainian law has changed.

On March 18, 2020, President Zelensky signed a package of laws regarding support of taxpayers and individuals during national quarantine (Laws No. 3220, 3219, 2538, 2539). What tax-related novelties do these laws introduce for business? See below the summary from INTEGRITES Tax and Customs team.