Russia appoints former CJI DY Chandrachud as arbitrator for legal battle with Ukrainian bank
PTC News Desk: Russia has appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud as its arbitrator in an investment treaty dispute brought by Ukrainian state-owned bank Oschadbank.
The case is attributed to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the claimed impact of military operations on the bank's operations.
The case is being heard under the 1998 Russia-Ukraine bilateral investment treaty. Oschadbank's claim is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Three-member tribunal
The arbitration panel will have three members. Dyala Jimenez, a Costa Rican arbitrator and former trade minister, will serve as the tribunal's president after being jointly selected by Russia and Oschadbank.
Oschadbank has appointed Stavros Brekoulakis, a Greek arbitrator and professor at the National University of Singapore, as another member of the tribunal.
How the dispute began
Oschadbank started the arbitration after Russia allegedly failed to respond to a notice of dispute issued by the bank in July 2025.
Chandrachud's appointment is notable because he had reportedly previously declined requests from Russia to serve as its arbitrator in other treaty disputes involving Wintershall Dea, an oil and gas company, and Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned electricity transmission company.
Those requests were reportedly made on the same day that the Permanent Court of Arbitration appointed Chandrachud as the appointing authority in the Wintershall case. He later stepped down from that role after disclosing the communications he had received.
- With inputs from agencies
