Victor Pinchuk, the metals-to-media businessman, is suing two other players in the iron ore sector, Gennadiy Bogolyubov and Igor Kolomoisky, for alleged breach of contrast and trust. The hearing itself is likely to take place in 2014. Earlier this year, however, when Boris Berezovsky lost his US$6.5 billion lawsuit against Roman Abramovic, there were voices which doubted that the super rich would still go to London to settle their differences.

In the pipeline

Professor Bill Bowring, chair of the British Russian Law Association, told The Financial Times that a lull had taken place after the Berezovsky decision but that more cases were now coming down the road. He said: 'If a contract is governed under English law . . . as a number of contracts are in Russia today, then disputes will come to London.'