DY Chandrachud’s new role: Why did Russia appoint ex-CJI as arbitrator?

Russia Selects Former Indian Chief Justice for Oschadbank Arbitration

Theindiapostdaily.com – Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has assumed a fresh international legal position. Russia named him as its arbitrator in an investment treaty conflict concerning Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank, according to Global Arbitration Review.

This case falls under a three-member tribunal established through the 1998 bilateral investment treaty linking Russia and Ukraine. Costa Rican arbitrator and ex-trade minister Dyalá Jiménez will lead the tribunal as president. Meanwhile, Greek arbitrator Stavros Brekoulakis, who teaches at the National University of Singapore, received his appointment from Oschadbank.

Understanding the Oschadbank Claim

The Ukrainian financial institution filed this investment claim regarding assets and business activities located in four regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Oschadbank alleges that Russia’s military operations caused substantial losses to these assets. These damages intensified following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The arbitration claim reportedly involves hundreds of millions of dollars.

Global Arbitration Review indicates that Oschadbank began arbitration proceedings after sending a notice of dispute to Russia in July 2025. The bank claims it received no reply to this communication. These proceedings operate under the 1998 bilateral investment treaty, which establishes legal mechanisms for resolving conflicts involving investments by nationals and corporations from both nations.

Tribunal Composition and Chandrachud’s Previous Experience

The three arbitrators making up the tribunal include party-appointed members plus a jointly chosen president. Jiménez received selection from both Russia and Oschadbank to oversee the tribunal. Brekoulakis was designated by Oschadbank. Russia chose Justice Chandrachud as its representative.

This appointment carries particular significance because Chandrachud had previously turned down Russia’s requests to serve as arbitrator in two separate investment treaty conflicts. Those earlier matters involved German energy firm Wintershall Dea and Ukrainian energy corporation Ukrenergo.

According to Global Arbitration Review, the approaches were made on the same day that the Permanent Court of Arbitration designated Chandrachud as the appointing authority in the Wintershall proceedings.

After revealing the communications he received from Russia, the ex-CJI withdrew from that PCA appointing authority position. His current Oschadbank appointment therefore follows his prior consideration for roles connected to other treaty claims involving Russia.

Legal Representation

Oschadbank’s legal team features Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partners Epaminontas Triantafilou and Alex Gerbi. Additional representation comes from Asters partners Oleksiy Didkovskiy, Andrii Pozhidayev, and Oksana Legka.

Russia’s counsel includes Pinna Goldberg partner Andrea Pinna, counsel Pratyush Panjwani, and senior associate Dimitrios Papageorgiou.

The tribunal will now evaluate Oschadbank’s investment claims regarding its assets and operations across the four Ukrainian regions. This arbitration represents part of a broader collection of investment disputes emerging from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as Ukrainian companies and investors pursue claims concerning assets impacted by Russian actions.