Press centre

Article19 October 2026Corporate law

Debt under a supply contract: demand letter, court, enforcement

Kristina Tsypkalo, advocate, partner of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association

Debt recovery is rarely lost on the law; it is lost on the paperwork: an unsigned delivery note, a missing power of attorney, an unagreed specification. A supplier usually comes to a lawyer once the delay has passed the six-month mark and it has become clear that the promises to pay "next month" are never going to end.

Read the article →

Article12 October 2026Criminal cases

A search at the office: what to do in the first thirty minutes

Dmitry Malyutov, advocate, chairman of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association

How staff behave in the first half hour decides what goes into the record of the search and what is later excluded from the evidence. A search begins without warning, by definition. So the only thing that genuinely works is a sequence of steps the staff already know, and a single phone number they call straight away.

Read the article →

Article5 October 2026Employment law

Dismissed for cause: how to get reinstated at work

Olga Lapina, advocate of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Bar Association

The employer has to prove that the dismissal was lawful: in an employment dispute the burden of proof does not sit with the employee. "Dismissed for cause" is a colloquial phrase covering very different grounds: absence without leave, repeated failure to perform duties, loss of trust, gross misconduct.

Read the article →

Article28 September 2026Military law

The electronic call-up notice: how it works and what it restricts

Yury Koval, advocate of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Bar Association

A call-up notice in electronic form counts as served whether or not the person has opened their online account, and the clock starts running from that moment. The military registration register has changed the very way a citizen deals with the military commissariat: a paper notice is no longer the only way of summoning someone, and the consequences of…

Read the article →

Article21 September 2026Corporate law

Selling on a marketplace: fines and account blocking

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Bar Association

The contract with a marketplace is written by the platform and changed unilaterally, but that does not mean the sums it withholds cannot be challenged. Sellers come to us with the same set of problems: money withheld over returns, a fine imposed for cancelled orders, a product listing blocked just before the high season.

Read the article →

Article14 September 2026Criminal cases

Called in for questioning as a witness: what to do before and during

Dmitry Malyutov, advocate, chairman of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association

The witness is the least protected participant in the process: plenty of duties, and usually nobody explains the rights. A call from an investigator rarely comes at a convenient moment. Most often it sounds like this: "Come in tomorrow, we need to ask you a couple of questions as a witness, it is a formality." It is not always a formality — and the…

Read the article →

In the media27 September 2024Corporate law

Marketplace-versus-seller litigation

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Seller numbers on Russia’s biggest marketplaces may reach 700,000 by the end of 2024 — and litigation is growing with them: almost 4,300 claims have been filed against Ozon and Wildberries since 2021. A breakdown of the three typical conflicts: fines and withheld payments, trademark disputes and listing blocks, lost or damaged goods.

Source: ComNews.ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media4 September 2024Insolvency

The tax service petitions to bankrupt a mineral-water producer

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

The Commercial Court of the Krasnodar Region has placed Alfa-Apsheronsk LLC, owing over 3.9 million roubles in taxes, under supervision. The attorney links the situation to a collapse in revenue — from 130 million roubles in 2022 to 24.9 million in 2023.

Source: Kommersant (in Russian) ↗

In the media29 August 2024Employment law

How parents can get 1 September off work

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

With the school year opening on a Monday, parents need a day off. The options: unpaid leave (the employer’s right, not duty), the privileged categories under art. 128 of the Labour Code, and the limits on splitting paid leave under art. 125.

Source: Argumenty i Fakty (in Russian) ↗

In the media28 August 2024Family and inheritance

The citizenship stamp in a child’s birth certificate

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Since 1 March 2024, children under 14 need a document confirming Russian citizenship to travel abroad. Which documents qualify, where a birth certificate is enough, and how to get the stamp through the interior ministry, mos.ru or a public-services centre.

Source: RBC (in Russian) ↗

In the media27 August 2024Reputation and criminal law

Insulted online: defending your honour and holding the offender to account

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Insult is defined in art. 5.61 of the Administrative Code, but the law gives no clear test of “indecent form” — the judge decides, with expert input where needed. How to preserve evidence through a notary, and when litigation is worth starting.

Source: Gazeta.Ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 August 2024Real estate and land

The 2% subsidised mortgage in the new regions

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

The state programme has been extended to second-hand housing in the DPR, LPR and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The full terms: a 2% rate, up to 30 years, a 6-million-rouble cap, a 10% down payment, running until 30 April 2025.

Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 August 2024Corporate law

Why a sushi-delivery chain re-registered from Saransk to Moscow

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

The chain’s parent company changed its registered address — its previous one sat in a special economic zone with tax privileges. The attorney suggests the move may be a strategic step ahead of litigation.

Source: RB.RU (in Russian) ↗

In the media25 July 2024Insolvency

Bankruptcy without stress: dealing with the insolvency practitioner

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Since late 2023 there has been an exception: where bankruptcy is initiated by the individual debtor, no practitioner may be needed. In all other cases the practitioner is mandatory — a guide to communication, separately for debtors and creditors.

Source: RBC Pro (in Russian) ↗

In the media25 July 2024Finance and banking

What to do if fraudsters have taken out a loan in your name

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

The step-by-step algorithm: a police report, a claim to the bank or microlender, a request for certified copies of the loan file in duplicate, and court if refused. Plus prevention: never leave your passport as a deposit, never share text-message codes.

Source: Gazeta.Ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media18 July 2024Reputation and criminal law

What defamation online can cost

An attorney of the bar association

Slander — spreading knowingly false statements — is a criminal offence under art. 128.1 of the Criminal Code. How it differs from insult, which is an administrative offence under art. 5.61 of the Administrative Code.

Source: Gazeta.Ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 July 2024Family and inheritance

Family law: five divorce myths and their unpleasant consequences

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

From “everything is split fifty-fifty regardless” to “registration decides who keeps the children” — five persistent myths about divorce, and what the law actually says.

Source: Sekret Firmy (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 July 2024Finance and banking

M.video goes to the police over “consumer extremism”

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

The retailer has complained to the interior ministry and the Investigative Committee over abusive warranty claims. Where consumer-rights protection ends and abuse of right begins — the attorney’s view.

Source: Vedomosti (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 July 2024Family and inheritance

Children born before 1995 and DNA proof of paternity

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

For children born before the current Family Code took effect, paternity is established under the old rules — and a DNA test alone is not always enough. What evidence courts accept in such cases.

Source: Vedomosti (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 July 2024Employment law

A Russian siesta: will working hours be cut in a heatwave?

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Sanitary rules let working hours be shortened when workplace temperatures exceed the norms — but the mechanism depends on the employer’s local acts. What employees can actually demand in the heat.

Source: Izvestia (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 July 2024Family and inheritance

Check first: which debts pass with an inheritance

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Heirs answer for the deceased’s debts within the value of what they inherit: loans, utility arrears, taxes. How to check an estate for debts before accepting it — and when refusing is wiser.

Source: 5-tv.ru (in Russian)

In the media15 July 2024Finance and banking

A former Apple reseller wins 1.6 billion ₽ from insurers

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

A court has awarded a major retailer insurance payments of 1.6 billion roubles. What the case says about how large commercial insurance disputes are actually resolved.

Source: Vedomosti (in Russian)

In the media18 June 2024Real estate and land

Port Victoria fights to reclaim a Novorossiysk waterfront

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

A dispute over rights to a stretch of coastline shows how title to waterside land and infrastructure is contested — and why documentary history decides such cases.

Source: Kommersant (in Russian)

In the media18 June 2024IT, telecoms and digital

Companies to receive open government data for AI training

An attorney of the bar association

A draft framework would let businesses train AI models on anonymised state datasets. The legal questions: data protection, liability for leaks and the limits of “anonymisation”.

Source: Vedomosti (in Russian)

In the media18 June 2024Military law

The unified military register in 2024

Yury Koval, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

How the unified register of persons liable for military service is being launched, how electronic summonses are served through it, and which restrictions attach to a served summons.

Source: Lenta.ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media18 June 2024Insolvency

Freeing yourself from debt: the alternatives to bankruptcy

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

Restructuring, refinancing, settlement with creditors, out-of-court bankruptcy through public-services centres — the attorney compares the options and their consequences before recommending court bankruptcy.

Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian) ↗

In the media22 May 2024Employment law

Guarantees for temporary workers in the Labour Code

Kristina Tsypkalo, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Fixed-term contracts give employers flexibility but carry strict statutory limits: when such a contract may be concluded, and when it is deemed permanent.

Source: Izvestia (in Russian) ↗

In the media22 May 2024IT, telecoms and digital

Which apps cyber-thieves target most

An attorney of the bar association

Banking and messenger apps top the target list. The legal side: what to do first after a hack, and how liability is distributed between the user and the service.

Source: Izvestia (in Russian) ↗

In the media22 May 2024Reputation and criminal law

Refusals in a defamation claim overturned

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

A cassation court has overturned lower-court refusals in a defamation case, restating what claimants must prove — and what courts must examine — in such disputes.

Source: Advokatskaya Gazeta (in Russian) ↗

In the media22 May 2024Employment law

Made to work on public holidays? You can go to court

Olga Lapina, attorney, Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Work on non-working holidays requires written consent and double pay — or a day off in lieu. What evidence wins such disputes for the employee.

Source: Gazeta.Ru (in Russian) ↗

In the media15 November 2022Insolvency

Personal bankruptcy: the lawful way out of unmanageable debt

Dmitry Malyutov, attorney, chairman of the bar association

When loan payments are objectively beyond you, the law offers a way out — personal bankruptcy. On the example of Ms Kh.’s case (No. А72-3325/2020): financial analysis, a petition to the commercial court at the place of registration, asset realisation — and the discharge of 1.9 million roubles owed to banks. The decision rests with the court, and the attorney stays with the client to the end of the procedure.

Case study —