Experts from Pepeliaev Group played an active part in the St Petersburg Legal Summit organised by Action-Pravo Publishing Group on 28-29 May in St Petersburg. Representatives of the firm acted as moderators of and spoke in key discussions dedicated to tax regulation, antitrust law, employment relations, the pre-trial settlement of tax disputes and the development of biolaw.
On 28 May, with the support of Pepeliaev Group, the discussion “A Polite Robbery. A Discussion on Fair Taxes from the Perspectives of the State, Business and Law” took place, moderated by the firm’s Managing Partner,
Sergey Pepeliaev. Participants discussed how digitalisation, remote employment, the development of artificial intelligence and global mobility are changing perceptions of fair taxation. Particular attention was paid to issues of tax residency in the context of cross-border employment, as well as the possible transformation of the tax system under the influence of new technologies.
«Today, the discussion of taxation extends far beyond rates and benefits. The development of remote employment, global mobility and artificial intelligence compels us to reconsider what fair taxation means and what it should look like in the future».
Ilia Tiulenev, Head of the Antitrust Practice at Pepeliaev Group, moderated the session “An Antitrust Check-Up: Risks of FAS Claims That Are Causing Companies to Reshape their Operations in 2026”. Experts discussed the current approaches of the Federal Antimonopoly Service to overseeing the market, requirements for companies’ sales and distribution policies, and issues of non-discriminatory access and pricing on digital platforms. A separate topic was the practice of applying orders requiring income to be transferred to the state budget as one of the most significant antitrust enforcement tools of recent years.
«Defence in abuse of dominance cases is shifting from the question of ‘whether there was an infringement’ to the question of ‘how the disgorgement is calculated’. Economic analysis, rather than legal classification, is becoming the key evidence».
The employment law session “One Salary and Goodbye. How to Conduct Complex Dismissal Negotiations”, featuring
Vitalia Kuznetsova, Head of the Employment and Migration Law Practice at Pepeliaev Group, attracted considerable interest from participants. During the discussion, the current trends were examined in judicial practice concerning disputes relating to employees’ resignations and terminations by mutual agreement. Experts discussed what factors, in addition to documentary evidence, courts take into account, how employers should structure the negotiation process and where the boundary lies between an acceptable compromise and undue pressure on an employee.
«In disputes concerning dismissal, courts are increasingly assessing not only the content of documents but also the circumstances in which the employee’s decision was made. Therefore, an employer must be prepared to demonstrate not only that the procedure is beyond reproach in legal terms but also that there was no pressure during the negotiations».
Rustam Galiyakhmetov, a Senior Associate in the St Petersburg Tax Practice of Pepeliaev Group, spoke during the session “Tax Disputes. What Accounting Departments Need to Know in 2026 to Reduce Risks”. The expert analysed the current statistics from the Russian Federal Tax Service and discussed the growing role of pre-audit analysis as a key instrument of tax control. Participants examined the specific features of pre-audit analysis, the criteria for selecting taxpayers and the risks arising from the absence of clear procedural regulation of this process.
«Pre-audit analysis has effectively become the principal instrument of tax control. Today, the objective of the tax authorities is not so much to designate a field tax audit as to encourage taxpayers to clarify their tax obligations by themselves. At the same time, businesses should remember that clarifying voluntarily does not always guarantee that there will be no claims in future».
Konstantin Sharlovskiy, a Partner at Pepeliaev Group and Head of the firm’s Life Sciences Practice, moderated the discussion “The Call of Blood: How the Legal Regime Governing Human Biomaterial Is Changing”. Participants discussed the legal nature of human biomaterials, issues relating to the use of genetic information, the operation of biobanks and existing gaps in legal regulation in this area. Experts noted that the development of biomedical technologies requires new legal approaches to be created along with clearer regulation of relationships connected with the storage and use of biomaterials.
«The taboo surrounding issues relating to the legal classification of biomaterials leads to a legal vacuum that creates a barrier to protecting citizens’ rights».
Pepeliaev Group supported the St Petersburg Legal Summit as the event’s General Partner.
