Asters alongside with White & Case LLP (UK) acted as legal counsels to PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian public railway company, in connection with restructuring of USD 500 million 9.5 per cent loan participation notes due 2018. The reprofiling includes exchanging of the 2018 notes for the new USD 500 million 9.875 per cent notes due 2021 and an amending of the loan agreement.
Asters advisory role included full legal support on Ukrainian law matters, assistance in negotiating and drafting transaction documents, registration of amendments to foreign loans with the National Bank of Ukraine, assistance in obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals, advising on banking and finance and other Ukrainian law matters.
Asters' restructuring team advising on the project consisted of Senior Partner Armen Khachaturyan and Associates Olena Nikolenko and Oleksandr Khomenko.
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Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) Public Joint Stock Company is a public railway network operator in Ukraine that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23.000 km, which makes the Ukrainian railroad network the 14th largest in the world. Ukrzaliznytsia is also the world's 6th largest rail passenger transporter and world's 7th largest freight transporter.
Asters is a full-service independent national law firm that has maintained a strong presence in Ukraine since 1995. Asters has been acknowledged as the Law Firm of the Decade by Ukraine's Legal Awards 2016. The Firm is a two-time winner of the Law Firm of the Year: Ukraine and the CIS award (The Lawyer European Awards 2014 and 2015), Law Firm of the Year (Ukraine) award (Who's Who Legal Awards 2014), Law Firm of the Year award (Ukrainian Legal Awards 2014) and is also named No.1 law firm in Ukraine according to the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Top 50 Law Firms Annual National Ranking.