ICA Moot MGIMO 2026: день первый

On 14 April, the quarterfinal round of the Russian division and the semifinal round of the English division of the on-site stage of ICA Moot MGIMO x Arbitration Centre at the RSPP took place.

The opening remarks were delivered by Nikita Yuryevich Molchakov, Dean of the International Law Faculty at MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. He noted that this year the Competition is being held for the first time in cooperation with the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and also emphasized that MGIMO is well known for its arbitration school, with most of the faculty members of the Department of Private International Law and Civil Law named after S.N. Lebedev serving as arbitrators at leading arbitration institutions. Nikita Yuryevich also expressed his gratitude to the partners and organizers of the event.

Maria Alexandrovna Andrianova, Head of the Department of Private International Law and Civil Law named after S.N. Lebedev at MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, then addressed the participants. She proudly shared that the idea of holding the competition originally belonged to students of the Legal Club, who later united professionals around them. Maria Alexandrovna also noted that the organizers selected intriguing aspects from real practice in resolving international disputes.

Mikhail Yuryevich Svaransky, Professor at the Department of Private International Law of the Russian School of Private Law and Deputy Chairman of the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, then took the floor. He pointed out that arbitration requires understanding both in procedural and philosophical terms, and that not everyone can convey this culture; therefore, choosing this field entails great responsibility and offers a significant competitive advantage.

Parting words were also delivered by Daria Baranova, Deputy Head of the MGIMO Legal Club. She noted that the Competition is being held for the fourth time and has attracted more than 40 applications from participants representing 16 universities this year. Daria emphasized that, with the support of the University and the professional community, the Model has become a platform for the development of young professionals.

Immediately after the opening ceremony, the participants proceeded to the oral rounds, where they выступили on behalf of both the claimant and the respondent. The teams presented their positions on a case concerning a dispute arising from a paint supply contract for parallel import.

The rounds were judged by faculty members of the Department of Private International Law and Civil Law named after S.N. Lebedev, representatives of the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and partner firms.

Based on the results of the in-person rounds, the following teams advanced to the semifinal of the Russian division:

• Team No. 9 — Kazan Federal University;
• Team No. 32 — Voronezh State University;
• Team No. 8 — Higher School of Economics;
• Team No. 30 — Kutafin Moscow State Law University and Novosibirsk State University.

The English division finalists are:

• Team No. 5 — Kutafin Moscow State Law University and MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia;
• Team No. 6 — MGIMO University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

The final round of the Competition will take place on 15 April at the RSPP, where the teams will compete for prize places.

We express our sincere gratitude to our general partner, the law firm “Dyakin, Gortsunyan and Partners,” as well as to our partner firms — VERBA LEGAL, E L W I, Pilot, and Grebelsky & Partners.

ICA Moot MGIMO 2026 is organized by the MGIMO Legal Club and the International Law Faculty of MGIMO in cooperation with the Arbitration Centre at the RSPP.

Thank you to all participants for their interest in the event!