Redcliffe Partners was recently involved with one of Ukraine’s most high-profile transactions of 2024, and one of the largest financings supporting the corporate merger in Ukraine’s history. Specifically, Redcliffe Partners acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on a USD 435 million financing to support the merger between the Lifecell group of companies, one of Ukraine’s largest data transmission and mobile communication operators, and Datagroup-Volia, one of the largest Ukrainian telecommunications service providers. The financing provided by the EBRD and the IFC will contribute to enhancing the resilience of the network and improving digital connectivity across Ukraine.
Our role as Ukrainian legal counsel included advising on the structuring of the financing, preparing the legal due diligence of Datagroup-Volia and Lifecell, providing guidance on intragroup refinancing, ensuring compliance with regulatory and currency control requirements, developing and implementing a comprehensive security package under Ukrainian law, and negotiating other transaction documents and addressing other project matters. Redcliffe Partners was particularly proud to be involved in this transaction as it supports the Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure following the largest foreign direct investment by a major strategic investor – represented by NJJ Holding (an investment company of Xavier Niel, a French investor and the founder of the leading European telecommunications group Iliad), and the private equity firm of Horizon Capital – since russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Our team advising on this landmark transaction was comprised Olexiy Soshenko, Managing Partner, Sevastian Viktoruk, Associate, Olesia Mykhailenko, Counsel, Artem Mykhailyk, Junior Associate, and Andriy Kostiuk, Paralegal, with support from a wider team including Albert Sych, Partner, Denys Medvediev, Counsel, Natalia Pakhomovska, Of Counsel, Kateryna Zheltova, Arthur Mukha and Zakhar Kymberskyi, Associates, Georgy Smirnov, Junior Associate, and Olha Shcherbak and Daryna Riashko, Paralegals.