On 26 January 2025, the Technical Regulation on the Safety of Chemical Products, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in July 2024, will come into force. The Regulation introduces rules for the registration of chemicals and was developed based on the EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). This forms part of legislative changes aimed at protecting human health and the environment. Click on one of the images below or use the following links to read our overview in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMC) is increasing enforcement efforts against so-called “gun-jumping” violations (i.e. a merger or acquisition executed without the prior approval of the AMC), demanding stricter scrutiny even for transactions with a perceived limited impact on the Ukrainian market. Between January 2022 and October 2024, the AMC imposed not only fines on companies that failed to obtain a prior clearance, but also on those that sought approvals after already closing their deals. To avoid penalties, companies must ensure they have secured AMC clearance before closing transactions, as even war-related challenges do not exempt firms from compliance requirements. Our Ukraine Competition &
The National Bank of Ukraine published amendments to currency restrictions that were introduced in February 2022 at the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. The changes relate to payments under international technical assistance projects, transfers for the import of goods, dividend payments, and lending for the purchase of foreign currency-denominated government bonds. While the first two categories involve the easing of restrictions, dividend payments and lending for purchasing foreign currency-denominated government bonds are now subject to stricter regulation.Click on one of the images below or use the following links to read our overview in English or in Ukrainian. Download
With the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK, Kinstellar was proud to partner with Stephen Butler and his team at Strategy Council to host the UK-Ukraine Defence Tech Forum, themed “Financing Ukraine’s Victory: Access to Capital and Scaling Defence Technologies” at the prestigious Royal United Services Institute in London on 8 November. Purpose Following on from the success of the previous drone-themed defence forum held in May, the UK-Ukraine Defence Tech Forum reconvened to promote investment by venture capital firms in Ukrainian miltech innovators. Ukrainian tech firms, UK and international VCs, and the governments of the UK and Ukraine exchanged views and experiences on the evolving role
Kinstellar has acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to Orbico Group on the acquisition of a controlling stake in SAV 92, a leading Ukrainian distributor of branded international and Ukrainian food and non-food products. This multi-stage transaction marks a significant step in Orbico's strategic expansion into the Ukrainian market. Orbico Group is a leading distributor of a large number of globally known brands ranging from beauty care to motor oil products. Orbico cooperates with more than 180 suppliers, manages more than 500 global and local brands, and supplies to more than 59,000 customers. Kinstellar’s advice included due diligence, securing unconditional merger control clearances for a gradual transfer of control
During September and early October, the Ukrainian government adopted secondary legislation to further the implementation of the so-called Cannabis Law. Click on one of the images below or use the following links to read our overview in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
Our TMT Legal Update provides insights from our law experts and aims to keep you regularly up to date with sector news, trends and legislation in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. This issue covers key updates from our jurisdictions from the past few months. REGIONAL Implementation status of certain EU regulations Technology 01. New development regarding NIS 2 Directive implementation in various Kinstellar jurisdictions The EU's NIS2 Directive is a cybersecurity act aimed at improving overall cybersecurity in the EU. Member States must implement it by 17 October 2024. Below we provide
Kinstellar is pleased to assist KNDS, the Franco-German military land systems manufacturer, and a key industrial supporter of Ukraine’s battle against Russian aggression, on establishing a subsidiary in Ukraine to support the cooperation between the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian armaments industry and KNDS in equipment maintenance, production of spare parts and ammunition, leading to the manufacture of complete weapons systems. Partner and Head of the Defence & Security sector, Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova, led the firm’s project team. We are proud to support KNDS Group, whose efforts are crucial to Ukraine’s ability to sustain the fight against the Russian aggressor.Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova, Partner
Kinstellar is proud to have acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to NJJ Capital, the investment company of France’s leading technology entrepreneur Xavier Niel, on the acquisition and merger of Datagroup-Volia, one of Ukraine’s largest fixed telecom and pay-TV providers, and Lifecell, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator. This landmark transaction is a significant consolidation of and investment in the Ukrainian telecoms market, that will bring many benefits to telecoms consumers, especially during wartime circumstances. Kinstellar’s legal team provided comprehensive Ukrainian law advice to NJJ Capital throughout the transaction. Lead lawyer and office managing partner Olena Kuchynska, noted:
Kinstellar is proud to have acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to French tech entrepreneur Xavier Niel’s investment company, NJJ Capital, in the acquisition and merger of Datagroup-Volia, one of Ukraine’s largest fixed telecom and pay-TV providers, and Lifecell, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator. This landmark transaction is a significant consolidation of and investment in the Ukrainian telecoms market, that will bring many benefits to telecoms consumers, especially during wartime circumstances. Kinstellar’s legal team provided comprehensive Ukrainian law advice to NJJ Capital throughout the transaction. We hope that this investment serves as a signal to other foreign investors to not wait to the
Kinstellar, in collaboration with DataDriven, provides regulatory guidance for companies entering Ukraine’s demining industry. Against the backdrop of Russia’s war, Ukraine has become the most heavily mined country in the world, with demining efforts estimated by the World Bank to require approximately USD 38 billion. The participation of Ukraine’s international partners is crucial to accelerate these efforts. " We invite our partners to support Ukraine to meet the critical need for demining operations and we will support these partners via expert navigation through the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory framework," noted Kinstellar Ukraine Partner and Head of the Defence
Kinstellar acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to Accountor, a leading provider of mission-critical business software, on the sale of its subsidiary company in Ukraine to Aspia. Aspia is a leading business partner offering technology-enabled accounting, payroll, tax and advisory services in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Accountor specialises in financial, payroll and HR management services. The group employs about 1,700 experts and operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Ukraine. In July 2024, Accountor became part of Aspia Group. For the transaction details, see Accountor’s press release here. The advice provided by Kinstellar related to legal support for the sale, by Accountor