The 2015 reform of the Russian law of obligations (changes to the relevant section of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – the Civil Code) came into force on June 1, 2015) may have a major impact on bankruptcy proceedings. The implementation of the new legal doctrines has only just begun, yet the first cases to reach the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation have already revealed major issues.

In a previous article, The Eagle and the Bear: Russian Proceedings Recognized Under Chapter 15, we discussed In re Poymanov, in which the Bankruptcy Court (SDNY) recognized a Russian foreign proceeding under chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code even though the debtor had only nominal assets in the United States (the “Recognition Order”). The Bankruptcy Court had declined to rule upon recognition whether the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C.

Russia’s bankruptcy law (the Law) has been amended to expand the list of persons who may be held vicariously liable for a bankrupt’s debts and clarify the grounds for such liability.

Definition of controlling person clarified

On 21 December 2017 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued clarifications on the liability of controlling parties in the event of bankruptcy.1 These clarifications are important for shareholders and company management, since the changes to the Law on Bank ruptcy and current case law have extended the scope of liability of controlling parties in the event of bankruptcy.

The main cases where controlling parties can be held liable are:

(1) the declaration of bankruptcy of the debtor was not filed in pro per time;

The key to understanding how the transfer of immovable property and service provision works for specialised companies in Russia.

The maintenance activities of Russian specialised companies (SPVs) are not only limited to charter activities. This article looks at the transfer of immovable property to a SPV balance and the transfer of service provision to standby service agents in Russia.

Третейские решения нередко используются для получения неправомерного контроля в делах о банкротстве. Схема установления контроля между аффилированными компаниями, позволяющая неправомерно получить статус первого заявителя в будущем деле о банкротстве и контролировать данный процесс, в общих чертах выглядит следующим образом:

– Между готовящейся к банкротству компанией А и ее аффилированной компанией Б создается сомнительное долговое обязательство на крупную сумму (поставка товаров, оказание услуг, заем и т.д.).

Arbitral awards are often used to obtain an undue control in bankruptcy cases. In simple terms, affiliated companies use the mechanism described below to enable a creditor to unlawfully gain the status of a first applicant in subsequent bankruptcy proceedings, and thus, control the proceedings:

– A dubious obligation to pay a large amount (e.g. for delivery of goods, provision of services or a loan, etc.) is created between Company A, which is being prepared for bankruptcy, and its affiliated Company B.

The status of the creditor whose claims are secured by means of a pledge (hereinafter referred to as a “pledge creditor”) in the bankruptcy proceedings is often named as the privileged one. This status provides not only the “privileges” to such a creditor but also imposes a number of serious restrictions in comparison to the status of a regular bankruptcy creditor.

DBI 2017 - A5 With Bleed.indd 3 20.02.2017 8:22:56 Doing Business in Russia 2017 Baker & McKenzie - CIS, Limited Moscow Office White Gardens, 10th Floor 9 Lesnaya Street Moscow 125047, Russia Telephone: +7 495 787 27 00 Fax: +7 495 787 27 01 [email protected] St. Petersburg Office BolloevCenter, 2nd Floor 4A Grivtsova Lane St.

The Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 54 “On Certain Issues of Applying the General Provisions of the Russian Civil Code on Obligations and Their Performance”* on 22 November 2016.

The Resolution contains 59 paragraphs that clarify various provisions of the Russian Civil Code.

Among other things, the clarifications on the following issues are of interest to businesses from a practical perspective: