Russia Chooses Former CJI Chandrachud As Arbitrator In Legal Battle With Oschadbank

According to a report by the Global Arbitration Review reported by Bar and Bench, former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud would represent Russia in an international arbitration tribunal considering a dispute brought by Ukrainian state-owned bank Oschadbank. The issue concerns the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the alleged effects of military actions on the bank’s business operations.

Oschadbank’s claim to assets and economic activities in the areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine is the root of the lawsuit. The bank claims that as a result of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine following its full-scale invasion in 2022, it lost these.

According to Bar and Bench, the case is being heard under the 1998 bilateral investment treaty between Russia and Ukraine. The estimated value of Oschadbank’s claim is hundreds of millions of dollars.

There will be three people on the tribunal. Dyala Jimenez, a former trade minister and Costa Rican arbitrator, was chosen by Oschadbank and Russia to be its president.

According to the Bar and Bench report, Oschadbank selected Stavros Brekoulakis, a professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Greek arbitrator, as the third member. Russia has appointed former Chief Justice Chandrachud.

After Russia allegedly failed to reply to a notice of dispute that the bank sent in July 2025, Oschadbank started the arbitration.

Chandrachud’s appointment follows reports that he earlier rejected requests from Russia to act as an arbitrator in treaty disputes involving Ukrenergo, a state-owned power transmission company, and Wintershall Dea, a gas and oil production corporation.

According to reports, the approaches were made on the same day that Chandrachud was appointed as the Wintershall proceedings’ appointing authority by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

After revealing the messages, he later resigned from that position.

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