Asters

Recently the firm provided legal support in the process of full return of the bank's assets and valuables, including USD 40 million, EUR 35 million and 9 kilograms of gold, which were seized during transit from Austria to Ukraine by Hungarian special services in March this year. On 18 May 2026, it was formally announced that the decision to deport seven previously detained Oschadbank employees and impose a three-year ban on their entry into and stay within the Schengen Area has been revoked. The respective decision was taken by the Hungarian Police Directorate-General for Aliens, which ordered that the relevant entries be immediately removed from the state registers. Asters' team, together with international legal advisers of Horvathlawyers law firm, implemented a comprehensive legal strategy and advised the client at every stage to protect its interests and support its employees. The team, working on the project under the leadership of Managing Partner Oleksiy Didkovskiy, included lawyers from dispute resolution, white-collar crime and banking and finance departments. Chairman of Oschadbank's Management Board Yurii Katsion has stated: “We are grateful to Asters and our international legal advisers for their professional support. The team’s expertise was instrumental in resolving this unprecedented case in Oschadbank’s favour and securing a fair outcome — the return of property, funds and assets to the bank, as well as the protection of our employees’ interests against unlawful actions.”

Asters has advised Shark Robotics, a French developer of advanced robotics solutions, and Tencore, one of Ukraine’s leading unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) manufacturers, on the signing of a memorandum of cooperation aimed at scaling defence and civil protection robotics. The memorandum was signed on 22 April 2026 during the EU–Ukraine Business Summit in Brussels and marks a step towards deeper industrial integration between Ukraine and its European partners. The partnership brings together Shark Robotics’ expertise in robotics for extreme environments with Tencore’s battlefield-proven technologies developed and deployed in Ukraine. It is structured around two complementary joint ventures to be launched in parallel in France and Ukraine: the French joint venture will support the "Build with Ukraine" approach by translating Ukrainian operational experience into European industrial production, while the Ukrainian joint venture will create a local industrial and services platform in Ukraine with the support of European institutional partners. In France, the joint venture will focus on the development and production of defence robotics based on operational feedback from the Ukrainian battlefield, including solutions for logistics and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). These systems are intended to address the needs of the French armed forces and may also be supplied to Ukraine, including with the support of international partners. In Ukraine, the joint venture will support the creation of a local industrial and services platform focused primarily on civil security robotics, including maintenance (MRO), personnel training and the gradual localisation of certain components. The platform is expected to contribute to the development of a more integrated European supply chain and ensure long-term operational support, including for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU). This structure is designed to combine operational responsiveness with scalable industrial capacity and aligns with the broader framework of defence and security cooperation between France and Ukraine. Asters’ team, led by Partner Tetiana Tyshchenko, advised on the structuring of the cooperation framework, coordinated negotiations, prepared the transaction documentation, and supported the regulatory aspects of the partnership. Tetiana Tyshchenko comments: “This cooperation reflects a growing trend towards deeper industrial integration between Ukraine and its international partners in the defence technology sector. We are pleased to have supported this partnership and to contribute to advancing practical, scalable solutions based on operational experience from Ukraine.”

Asters acts as legal counsel to Oschadbank in connection with a high-profile incident involving the bank's cash collection employees in Hungary. The firm's team, together with international legal advisers, is taking all necessary legal steps to safeguard the interests of the bank and its employees. A press conference on the case took place on 24 March 2026 in Kyiv, with the participation of Oschadbank's Chairman of the Board Yurii Katsion, cash collection employee Gennadiy Kuznetsov, and Asters' Managing Partner Oleksiy Didkovskiy, who leads the legal team on the case. During the event, Oleksiy Didkovskiy stated: "Our priority steps are to restore the bank employees' right to unimpeded entry into Schengen countries and to file claims for compensation for the direct and indirect losses incurred by the bank. This incident is unprecedented, so particular legal solutions in this case will be applied for the first time." On 5 March 2026, Oschadbank reported the unjustified detention in Hungary of two vehicles belonging to its cash collection service, along with seven members of its crew. The vehicles were transporting USD 40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kilograms of gold. On 6 March, the employees were deported to Ukraine and banned from entering the Schengen area for the next three years. On 12 March, the bank received the damaged vehicles lacking communication and video surveillance equipment. Following decisions by the Hungarian Government and Parliament, the bank's funds and valuables were detained for at least 60 days.