“Yarik Kryvoi's expertise on matters of Russian law is invaluable. His opinions always command respect.” — Legal 500
Professor Yarik Kryvoi acts as an independent Russian law expert witness for courts and arbitral tribunals. He prepares expert reports and gives evidence on the Russian legal system, commercial law, courts, sanctions, dispute resolution and the law of the Eurasian Economic Union.
His recent instructions have involved some of the most significant disputes concerning Russian law after 2022, including the Lugovoi Law, sanctions and countersanctions, anti-suit injunctions, jurisdiction, enforcement, state-owned companies, aviation and insurance.
He has recently acted for leading UK, US and Irish law firms, including Clifford Chance, Covington & Burling, King & Spalding, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Peters & Peters, Reed Smith, Stewarts, Matheson, Mason Hayes & Curran, McCann FitzGerald and William Fry.
He is a native Russian speaker who spent seven years studying and practising law in Russia. He was admitted in Russia in 2002 and New York in 2008 and has worked at Baker & McKenzie, Morgan Lewis and Freshfields. He is Of Counsel at Keidan Harrison in London and Director of the Investment Treaty Forum at BIICL.
Professor Kryvoi holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, a PhD from UCL and a PhD in law from Moscow State Law Academy. He has more than 25 years of practical and academic experience.
In its judgment of 24 February 2026, the Hague Court of Appeal considered issues concerning corporate separateness, enforcement against a Russian State-owned company and immunity from execution, relying on Professor Kryvoi's expert opinion on Russian law.
In [2025] EWHC 94 (Comm), the English Commercial Court relied on Professor Kryvoi's expert evidence concerning Russian law, including Articles 248.1 and 248.2 of the Arbitrazh Procedure Code, Russian anti-suit measures and the enforceability of the relevant Russian judgments.
Professor Kryvoi served as a Russian law expert in English court proceedings seeking anti-suit injunctions in relation to Russian proceedings and in support of forum-selection agreements favouring English courts and London- and Paris-seated arbitration. The dispute culminated in the landmark jurisdictional judgment of the UK Supreme Court in UniCredit Bank GmbH v RusChemAlliance LLC [2024] UKSC 30.
A comprehensive country-by-country guide to arbitration law and practice across the CIS region.
Co-edited with Kaj Hobér.
This country-by-country work covers arbitration legislation, institutions, procedure and enforcement across ten CIS jurisdictions.
Compares Kazakhstan with selected OECD and reform jurisdictions, covering justice institutions, executive-judicial relations, prosecution, organisational capacity, security, privacy, technology, prisons and public trust.
Identifies international good practices in problem definition, drafting, consultation, adoption, regulatory-impact assessment, review and oversight, with recommendations for clearer and more effective regulation.
Examines corporate law, contract law and foreign-investment protection, drawing on Kazakhstan, Canada, Germany, Russia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and public international law.
Reviews a major English-language treatment of Russian contract law, highlighting its use of Russian court practice and comparative explanations of differences between Russian and English law.
Professor Kryvoi has also published more than 20 relevant works in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian.
To request a conflict check, please provide the parties' names, a short case summary, the court or arbitral forum, the key Russian law issues and relevant deadlines.
Contact Prof KryvoiEngland, Ireland, the United States, Cyprus, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands and Israel, as well as commercial and investor-State arbitrations involving Russian law.
Timing depends on complexity and volume. An urgent focused opinion may take about one week, while complex reports can require several weeks or months.
Formal requirements vary. Courts and tribunals generally place greatest weight on experts with relevant qualifications, practical experience, strong academic credentials and the ability to explain Russian law independently.
Professor Kryvoi has been cross-examined in multiple jurisdictions. His cross-examinations have ranged from several hours to two weeks.
Law firms often value a native Russian speaker with extensive training in both Russian and common law, experience at reputable firms in Russia and the West, and substantial post-2022 experience concerning sanctions and politically sensitive disputes.