Practices Sectors Private clients

Agro-Industrial Complex

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Product

Import phase-out projects, development of commodity production and technologies, industrial digitalisation, entry into new markets and ramp-up of export are all trends in recent years creating both new opportunities and risks for players in the agro-industrial sector.

BGP Litigation lawyers provide legal support on obtaining tax benefits, AgroTech, intellectual property protection, land law, transactions and investments, identification and mitigation of sanctions, tax, foreign exchange, customs and antitrust risks, asset financing, dispute resolution and international arbitration, including under FOSFA rules, and more.

The BGP Litigation office in Dubai provides support to Russian agro-industrial companies in connection with entry into Middle East markets, including taxation issues, arranging itineraries for cargo movements, transactions, factory building, asset purchase and sale.

The firm’s high level of expertise in the agro-industrial complex is confirmed by it being placed in the first groups on the Pravo-300 and Kommersant national rating lists. The firm’s clients include Russian and international agricultural holding groups in livestock farming, crop production, fisheries, fat-and-oil plants, fertiliser producers, milk producers, suppliers and growers of agricultural produce and other players on this market.
Services
Transaction support
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  • Support for M&A transactions at all stages, including strategy development, transaction structuring, comprehensive asset due diligence, participation in negotiations between transaction parties, and transaction closing support
  • Support for obtaining regulatory approvals for transactions, including from the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS Russia), the Government Commission on Foreign Investments, and other public authorities
Antitrust legislation counselling
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  • Coordination of economic concentration transactions with FAS Russia
  • Assessment whether a dominant market position exists
  • Minimisation of antitrust violation risks in pricing
  • Development of trade policies
  • Counselling on vertical agreements with distributors, including issues regarding prohibition of maximum resale prices
  • Building of antitrust compliance systems
  • Representation before FAS Russia and in courts on antitrust violation cases
Asset financing
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  • Financial leasing of equipment and vehicles
  • Supply of equipment from both friendly and unfriendly countries under sanctions restrictions
  • Raising of funding and financing projects
  • Structuring of assets ownership and operation
Legal support for entering foreign markets, including in the Middle East
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  • Establishment of structures for international trading of grain and agricultural products in the UAE and other countries, including the European Union (i.e., Serbia)
  • Creation of “family offices” and other overholding structures in the UAE and other countries, including the European Union (i.e., Serbia)
  • Tax counselling on launching agro-industrial businesses on foreign markets

We advised:

An Agro-Industrial Holding

regarding settlement of debts under GAFTA contracts for supply of agricultural products from Russia, including development of a strategy to protect the rights of the Russian supplier

An Agricultural Trade and Logistics Operator

in connection with termination of supply agreements, recovery of damages under GAFTA arbitration rules and enforcement of arbitration awards abroad

A Foreign Agricultural Holding

regarding a legal review of exclusive rights to software enabling agricultural machinery to be controlled with minimal human involvement

A Russian Exporter of Agricultural Products

on development of financing structures and drafting of agreements for raising investment in agricultural product exports

A Major Agro-Industrial Holding

regarding entry onto the UAE market, including tax issues and compliance with economic substance and business licensing requirements

A Russian Agricultural Crop Producer

on acquisition of agricultural land in Russia, including analysis of tax and currency implications and risks, and obtaining approval for the transaction from the Government Commission

A Biotechnology Company

developing agricultural products for livestock and crop farming, on protection against fiscal claims by customs authorities regarding import of agricultural goods for industry enterprises in Russia

A Russian Exporter of Agricultural Crops and Processed Products

on tax and currency implications and risks during incorporation of a foreign company intending to raise investments in the wheat production sector

A Major Agricultural Producer

in a case concerning the bankruptcy of a regional agro-industrial enterprise and recovery of RUB 2 bln in damages

Team

Dmitry Bazarov
Partner, partner committee member, attorney — Dispute Resolution, Bankruptcy
Alexander Golikov
Partner, partner committee member, attorney — Tax Advise and Disputes, International Tax Planning
Irina Akimova
Partner, attorney, member of the General Council of the Antimonopoly Experts Association – Competition Law
Anastasia Dudko
Partner, attorney - Intellectual Property and Technology
Alexander Kirilchenko
Partner, attorney — Customs Law and International Trade
Pavel Kondukov
Partner, attorney — Tax Advise and Disputes, Lawmaking and GR
Maxim Kuzmin
Partner, attorney — Cross-Border Disputes
Vladislav Rikov
Partner — Transport and Asset Finance
Alexey Koulagin
Counsel — Real Estate and Construction
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News

07/03/2026 07/03/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation Wins PREQVECA White Nights Awards 2026
06/09/2026 06/09/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation Strengthens Its Tax and Customs Practices
06/09/2026 06/09/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Bashkortostan signed a cooperation agreement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
05/05/2026 05/05/2026 Press-release
RAA's Investment Arbitration Working Group Led by BGP Litigation's Partner Sergey Morozov Submits an Amicus Curiae Brief to the Court of Justice of the European Union
05/04/2026 05/04/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation Secures Over RUB 5.6 Billion in Damages from Former RUSNANO Executives
04/14/2026 04/14/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation Secures Reversal of Appellate Ruling in a Dispute over Reclamation of Property from a Good-Faith Purchaser
BGP Litigation's Dispute Resolution team helped its client, Blago Ertil LLC, an agro-industrial company, secure a reversal of the appellate court ruling in a dispute over the reclamation of the value of several hundred tonnes of sunflower oilseeds stolen by fraudsters.

The dispute involved reclaiming the commodity value from a bona fide purchaser as unjust enrichment.  The cause of action was based on the circumstances of the loss of possession of the commodity by the original owner as a result of the fraud.  The appellate court, referring to the final and binding verdict in a criminal fraud case, concluded that the property had been withdrawn from the original owner's possession against his will and ruled that the defendant should pay the value of the commodity.

BGP Litigation's team joined the proceedings at the cassation appeal stage.  The lawyers revised the defence strategy, focusing on application of Article 302 of the Russian Civil Code.  Having taken the account of the current case law of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, our firm's dispute resolution practitioners substantiated the necessity of distinguishing between a disposal of property at an owner's will and a disposal against such will, even in case of a fraud.

In the cassation appeal, our dispute resolution professionals proved that in the case in question, the original owner had voluntarily performed the legally binding acts to transfer the commodity, for which reason the commodity had been withdrawn from his possession at his own will.

Following the review of the cassation appeal, the district commercial (arbitrazh) court reversed the appellate court's ruling and upheld the decision of the first instance court to reject the claim.

Our lawyers' position helped develop a precedent-setting approach to application of Article 302 of the Russian Civil Code.  The court upheld that a fraud conviction did not preclude the necessity of analysing the nature of the owner's intentions and the circumstances surrounding the property transfer.  Such an approach is essential for safeguarding bona fide purchasers and further development of the case law.

BGP Litigation's dispute resolution team engaged in the project comprised Partner Vladimir Efremov, Senior Associate Igor Vershinin, and Junior Associate Marfa Makarova.
04/08/2026 04/08/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation Recognised as a Leading Law Firm in the Middle East: 2026 Research by Pravo.ru
03/26/2026 03/26/2026 Mass-media
BGP Litigation assisted the clients with recognition and enforcement of the Russian arbitral awards in Germany, Canada, and the UAE
02/13/2026 02/13/2026 Press-release
BGP Litigation’s Partner Vladimir Efremov Secures Spot Among Top 100 Most Influential Bankruptcy Professionals
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