Arbitrating Investment Disputes in Time of Geopolitical Unrest: Focus on Investment Protection in Russia

Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the resulting war have had profound humanitarian and economic consequences affecting the lives of people in Ukraine and the region’s economic stability. The international community imposed unprecedented economic sanctions on Russian entities and individuals to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As expected, Russia retaliated and issued a series of counter-measures targeting foreign investors within Russia and occupied territories in Ukraine. Such measures will give, and have already given rise to claims by foreign investors in Russia for breaches of international investment law. This article analyses the restrictive measures targeting foreign investment imposed by Russia in response to international sanctions. It further discusses their legal implications for foreign investors. An overview of investment protections afforded under international investment treaties and international conventions as potential sources of redress for foreign investors follows in section 3. The final section highlights the challenges of pursuing investment treaty claims against Russia in the current geopolitical context (section 4). investment treaty arbitration, sanctions, counter-sanctions, investment protection in Russia, Ukraine, foreign investors, expropriation, fair and equitable treatment, narrowly worded arbitration clause, nationalization