RBI files lawsuit against Russian Strabag shareholder at court in Kaliningrad

The proceedings concern the question of how claims arising from the Russian real estate transactions known as "Rasperia" are to be divided among the parties involved. The RBI subsidiary, which is asserting its own claims arising from the business relationships, considers itself affected by the ongoing disputes before Russian courts and intends to safeguard its position with the new lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed is part of a longer-standing conflict in which several Russian companies and Austrian parties are wrangling over claims and counterclaims. RBI representatives have repeatedly stressed that the bank would defend itself against unilateral measures taken before Russian courts.

Role of the Kaliningrad Commercial Court

Observers point out that such proceedings carry particular legal and political explosiveness against the backdrop of applicable EU sanctions law and the strained relations between the Republic of Austria and Russia. RBI has emphasised on several occasions in the past that it serves the Russian market only in full compliance with all supervisory and sanctions-related requirements.

According to information from the case files, the Kaliningrad Commercial Court has jurisdiction because several of the affected Russian companies are based in the Kaliningrad region. The court has not yet set a date for an oral hearing in the lawsuit now filed by RBI.

The amount of the claims that RBI is itself now asserting against the Russian Strabag shareholder has not been publicly quantified in the submissions filed to date. In a statement, the bank referred to the ongoing proceedings and said it would not comment further on the substance until the Russian judiciary has ruled.

Political and legal dimension

Legal experts see RBI's lawsuit as an attempt to actively defend its own role in the "Rasperia" transactions and to avert possible disadvantages arising from the May 2026 proceedings. The cross-lawsuits between Russian companies and Austrian parties are regarded as unusually complex.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Austria is following the proceedings closely, without however intervening in ongoing cases. It is in regular contact with RBI and with the Austrian law firms representing the bank.

Overall, the developments show how business relationships dating from the period before Russia's attack on Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions continue to occupy the courts. The name of Oleg Deripaska also keeps cropping up in the orbit of the companies involved, without him being assigned a direct role in the RBI lawsuit in the submissions currently on file.

Outlook on the further proceedings

RBI has in the past rejected accusations that it paid insufficient attention to sanctions risks, pointing to extensive internal controls. The bank had already announced its withdrawal from Russia but had to adjust it several times due to supervisory requirements.

Should the Kaliningrad Commercial Court uphold RBI's lawsuit, observers assess that this could strengthen the bank's negotiating position in the parallel proceedings. An initial reaction from the Russian Strabag shareholder to the new lawsuit was not immediately available.