Nikita Polkovnikov

About Nikita Polkovnikov

Nikita specialises in corporate law, commercial contracts and PPP projects. He joined the firm in August 2013.

Apart from working in Freshfields, Nikita’s experience includes working as a legal counsel for Russia and CIS at a major international hotel operator and as a head of legal department of one of the largest Russian medical companies where he supervised development and implementation of life cycle contracts for medical equipment.

Nikita graduated from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in June 2015. A native Russian speaker, Nikita is also fluent in English.

Recent work

Nikita ’s selected experience includes advising:

• Fraport-led consortium of sponsors on various aspects of the USD 2bn St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport PPP scheme, including on construction and operation of the project;
• A private sponsor in relation to a PPP project to reconstruct Samarkand airport in Uzbekistan;
• Sheremetyevo International Airport as the concessionaire on various matters in connection with operating the Sheremetyevo Airport, including ongoing corporate and commercial advice and disputes with public regulators;
• A consortium of Japanese investors in connection with the acquisition of a stake in a project to build a new passenger terminal at one of the largest airports in the Russian Far East;
• Philips in respect of various legal matters relating to a project to finance, supply and maintain healthcare facilities under a health PPP scheme with the City of Moscow;
• Amadeus on various commercial and regulatory aspects related to IT airport and airline infrastructure;
• Vinci-led consortium of sponsors in an international construction arbitration with a European consortium in respect of a major toll road project;
• A syndicate of lenders in a project for the financing of construction and operation of Togliatti bypass road based on concession agreement;
• Russian sponsors on multibillion PPP project on construction and operation of waste-to-energy processing plants in several Russian regions;
• Russian Railways on a number of rail finance, construction and operation projects, including a project to develop a network of Russian high-speed rail lines, including Moscow to St. Petersburg and a concession to finance, reconstruct and operate the national railroad system of Armenia;
• A major European investor in connection with the planned acquisition of the largest regional operator of Russian airports;
• A major Russian investor in connection with the acquisition of 100% of shares in several railway transportation companies;
• One of the leading international tobacco companies in connection with the acquisition of one of the largest cigarette manufacturers in Russia;
• A direct investment fund in connection with the proposed investment in a project for the construction of sports facilities, residential and commercial real estate and transport infrastructure;
• One of the leading international pharmaceutical companies in connection with the acquisition of a new business line.