On 19 August 2026, the Swiss Federal Council adopted extensive amendments to the Ordinance on Measures in Connection with the Situation in Ukraine (the “Ukraine Ordinance”; the following citations in each case refer to the Ukraine Ordinance), thereby completing the
UK Supreme Court confirms creditors’ ability to rely on unrecognised foreign judgments in bankruptcy proceedings
The case of Valeriy Ernestovich Drelle v Service-Terminal LLC[1] has, over recent years, caused lots of debate over whether unrecognised, unregistrable foreign judgments could form the basis of a bankruptcy petition pursuant to sections 267 and 268 of the
Russia leans on drones and dissent-proofing as fuel crisis bites
Editor’s Note: Russia’s war economy is running short on gasoline at the same moment its military leans harder on North Korean missiles and troops to sustain the fight, and the Kremlin is managing both stories with the same tool: control
Russia sentences anti-war politician Shlosberg to 11 years in prison
A Russian court sentenced politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in a penal colony on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military and spreading “false information,” Amnesty International said on Monday.
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and
Department of War Launches Research Security Audits: Key Compliance Steps for Higher Education Institutions
Background
On August 17, 2026, the Department of War issued formal notifications to 30 domestic academic institutions directing them to initiate immediate and comprehensive reviews of their academic, financial, and research collaborations with foreign entities of concern. The notifications were
The ICC, Arrest Warrants, and Peace Negotiations
Introduction
On 9 June 2026, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued a decision in response to a request by a State for consultations under Article 97 of the Rome Statute. Article 97 provides an avenue for
Rights group warns Russia strike on Ukraine may constitute war crime
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday warned that Russia’s attack on Kyiv, which utilized cluster munitions in a crowded residential area, may constitute a war crime under international law, citing the weapon’s indiscriminate nature and the high toll of civilian
Senate passes Graham sanctions act, shifting Russia pressure from policy to statute
Editor’s Note: Mandatory sanctions drafting just cleared the Senate, 27 days after the death of the senator whose name it carries. The 86-11 passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act on Aug. 7 would put Russia
The cancelled buy-back: Federal Law No. 319-FZ and the departing seller’s option: Compensation at the court’s discretion
On 4 August 2026, the President of the Russian Federation signed Federal Law No. 319-FZ, which inserts a new Article 20.1 into the Federal Law on Foreign Investments and allows a Russian court to cancel the buy-back option that many
EU Adopts 21st Sanctions Package Against Russia
On July 23, 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted its 21st sanctions package against Russia and parallel measures concerning Belarus. Across the two asset-freeze regimes, the package added 48 individuals and 170 entities. Beyond the new listings, the