20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
Pretrial Restrictions on Business Owners and Top Managers: Reform Outcomes and Future Outlook
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
In recent years, several important initiatives have been proposed to limit the pretrial detention of entrepreneurs during investigations into economic crimes. Following the implementation of presidential directives, amendments have been introduced to Article 99, Part 1.1, and Part 3 of Article 108 of the Russian Criminal Code. Courts handling economic crime cases are now required to prioritize alternative pretrial measures that allow business activity to continue. The humanization of criminal law provisions has received broad public support. However, in practice, the problem persists, with a significant number of entrepreneurs still being held in pretrial detention. Moreover, criminal prosecution and the subsequent detention of business owners often spark corporate conflicts and disrupt normal business operations. What have been the results of these reforms? What are the next steps?
Moderator
Vladimir Gruzdev
Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia
Panellists
Andrey Bastrakov
Partner, Co-Head of Criminal Law Practice, EPAM Law Offices
Victoria Burkovskaya
Co-Chairman, Center for Public Procedures "Business Against Corruption"
Alexey Karlin
Judge, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
Andrey Kozlov
Managing Partner, Lawyer, Law Firm "RussianLegal"
Tatyana Sizova
Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights Protection in Moscow
Front row participant
Mikhail Shalumov
Deputy Head of Department - Head of Division for Systematisation of Legislation and Analysis of Judicial Practice in Criminal Matters, Department for Systematisation of Legislation and Analysis of Judicial Practice, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
Broadcast

Vladimir Gruzdev
Chairman of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia
Gruzdev Vladimir Sergeyevich – Chairman of the Executive Board of the Association of lawyers of Russia (ALRF).
Born February 6, 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow region.
Education:
1984: graduated from the Moscow Suvorov military school.
1991: graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military institute.
2000: graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Law Faculty).
2003: defended his PhD thesis.
Foreign languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English.
Career:
1991-1993 served in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the RF.
1993: founded the trading company “The Seventh Continent”, where he held management positions.
2001: was elected as a deputy of the Moscow city Duma.
2003: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fourth convocation.
2007: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation.
2011-2016: governor of the Tula region.
2009-2016: member of the Presidium of the ALRF.
Since 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the ALRF.
Awards:
- Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd Class;
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd Class and 4th Class;
- Russian Federation Presidential and Governmental Certificates of Honour;
- Gratitudes of the President and the Government of the RF;
- Medal “For Battle Merit”;
- Honourary Title “Soldier-internationalist”;
- Honourary badges of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Born February 6, 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow region.
Education:
1984: graduated from the Moscow Suvorov military school.
1991: graduated from the Krasnoznamenny Military institute.
2000: graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Law Faculty).
2003: defended his PhD thesis.
Foreign languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English.
Career:
1991-1993 served in the Foreign Intelligence Service of the RF.
1993: founded the trading company “The Seventh Continent”, where he held management positions.
2001: was elected as a deputy of the Moscow city Duma.
2003: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fourth convocation.
2007: was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation.
2011-2016: governor of the Tula region.
2009-2016: member of the Presidium of the ALRF.
Since 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the ALRF.
Awards:
- Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd Class;
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd Class and 4th Class;
- Russian Federation Presidential and Governmental Certificates of Honour;
- Gratitudes of the President and the Government of the RF;
- Medal “For Battle Merit”;
- Honourary Title “Soldier-internationalist”;
- Honourary badges of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Andrey Bastrakov
Partner, Co-Head of Criminal Law Practice, EPAM Law Offices

Victoria Burkovskaya
Co-Chairman, Center for Public Procedures "Business Against Corruption"
Viktoria Burkovskaya has a post-doctoral degree in Law and is one of the leading experts in Criminal Law, majoring in business-related crimes, criminal trial and compliance with anti-corruption law.
Ms. Burkovskaya provides consult in personal data protection, licensing cryptographic activity and cryptographic services.
Between 2006 and 2009 Ms. Burkovskaya held the position of Senior Research Associate at General Prosecutor’s Office Academy, where she prepared legal opinion on various business-related criminal cases, including illegal business operations, money laundering, smuggling, tax evasion etc., as well as crimes against public order and policies, cases tried by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and cases to extradition of Russian citizens.
Viktoria Burkovskaya plays an active role in reforming criminal legislation of the Russian Federation. She’s a member of the Criminal and Commercial Court Working Group (under International Commercial Court in Paris) and the Co-Chairperson of Business Against Corruption (Center of Public Procedures under Delovaya Rossiya). She has authored over 80 works in law journals. Ms. Burkovskaya is a Professor of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Process and Forensics at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where she teaches legal psychology and forensics.
Viktoria Burkovskaya is an alumni of Voronezh State Teacher Training University (1996, cum laude), Moscow State Law Academy (2002, cum laude), post-graduate program of the Research Institute for Legality Consolidation and Public Order under General Prosecutor’s Office (2000) and post-doctoral program of the Management Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2005).
In 2015 the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation awarded Ms. Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit. In 2016 Boris Titov, the Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights, awarded Viktoria Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit for her active pro bono work to defend entrepreneurs’ rights.
Ms. Burkovskaya is a member of Moscow City Bar.
Ms. Burkovskaya provides consult in personal data protection, licensing cryptographic activity and cryptographic services.
Between 2006 and 2009 Ms. Burkovskaya held the position of Senior Research Associate at General Prosecutor’s Office Academy, where she prepared legal opinion on various business-related criminal cases, including illegal business operations, money laundering, smuggling, tax evasion etc., as well as crimes against public order and policies, cases tried by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and cases to extradition of Russian citizens.
Viktoria Burkovskaya plays an active role in reforming criminal legislation of the Russian Federation. She’s a member of the Criminal and Commercial Court Working Group (under International Commercial Court in Paris) and the Co-Chairperson of Business Against Corruption (Center of Public Procedures under Delovaya Rossiya). She has authored over 80 works in law journals. Ms. Burkovskaya is a Professor of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Process and Forensics at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where she teaches legal psychology and forensics.
Viktoria Burkovskaya is an alumni of Voronezh State Teacher Training University (1996, cum laude), Moscow State Law Academy (2002, cum laude), post-graduate program of the Research Institute for Legality Consolidation and Public Order under General Prosecutor’s Office (2000) and post-doctoral program of the Management Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (2005).
In 2015 the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation awarded Ms. Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit. In 2016 Boris Titov, the Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights, awarded Viktoria Burkovskaya with a Certificate of Merit for her active pro bono work to defend entrepreneurs’ rights.
Ms. Burkovskaya is a member of Moscow City Bar.
Alexey Karlin
Judge, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation

Andrey Kozlov
Managing Partner, Lawyer, Law Firm "RussianLegal"
Andrey Kozlov is the founder and managing partner of the RussianLegal Law Firm.
Andrey specializes in disputes on compliance restoring and countermeasures against the withdrawal of assets, M&A transactions supporting and negotiations for further division of joint business or quitting it.
Category I “Best Lawyers: Federal Ranking” 2023 – “Resolution of Corporate Conflicts” according to Kommersant;
Member of the working group of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
Attorney-at-law, graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Faculty of Law and University College London (LL.M); Chief editor of the Academy of Law magazine, founder of the educational projects “Drafting School”, “Russian Legal Tournament” - the project of the year in the field of education according to Pravo-300 national ranking 2024.
Andrey specializes in disputes on compliance restoring and countermeasures against the withdrawal of assets, M&A transactions supporting and negotiations for further division of joint business or quitting it.
Category I “Best Lawyers: Federal Ranking” 2023 – “Resolution of Corporate Conflicts” according to Kommersant;
Member of the working group of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
Attorney-at-law, graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Faculty of Law and University College London (LL.M); Chief editor of the Academy of Law magazine, founder of the educational projects “Drafting School”, “Russian Legal Tournament” - the project of the year in the field of education according to Pravo-300 national ranking 2024.

Tatyana Sizova
Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights Protection in Moscow
Mineeva Tatiana Vadimovna graduated from Astrakhan State Technical University in 2004, PhD in economics.
2005-2012 - worked in the Government of the Astrakhan region.
2012 - 2013 – Head of a program at ANO «Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects».
2013 - 2019 - Vice President of the All-Russian public organization "Business Russia". In December 2017, she was appointed Head of the Executive committee of the Moscow regional branch of Business Russia.
Since 2019 – the Business ombudsman of the city of Moscow in the Government of Moscow.
In her work as an Ombudsman, she built almost from scratch the infrastructure for the protection of business rights in Moscow – more than 500 businessmen, experts and lawyers were involved on a voluntary basis, 24 public reception offices were opened throughout the capital. Thus, for the first time in Russia, it was formed the integrated community of public businessmen structures called - the Ecosystem of the Business ombudsman of the city of Moscow.
In 2020, 140 victories were achieved in restoring the rights of entrepreneurs, 77 legislative initiatives of the business support for the period of COVID-19 pandemic and 13 system business environment legislative initiatives were implemented. As a result of the work, the second part of the book "How to be friends with the state?" was written and published.
Tatiana is a winner of the open competition «Leaders of Russia. Politics 2020».
2005-2012 - worked in the Government of the Astrakhan region.
2012 - 2013 – Head of a program at ANO «Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects».
2013 - 2019 - Vice President of the All-Russian public organization "Business Russia". In December 2017, she was appointed Head of the Executive committee of the Moscow regional branch of Business Russia.
Since 2019 – the Business ombudsman of the city of Moscow in the Government of Moscow.
In her work as an Ombudsman, she built almost from scratch the infrastructure for the protection of business rights in Moscow – more than 500 businessmen, experts and lawyers were involved on a voluntary basis, 24 public reception offices were opened throughout the capital. Thus, for the first time in Russia, it was formed the integrated community of public businessmen structures called - the Ecosystem of the Business ombudsman of the city of Moscow.
In 2020, 140 victories were achieved in restoring the rights of entrepreneurs, 77 legislative initiatives of the business support for the period of COVID-19 pandemic and 13 system business environment legislative initiatives were implemented. As a result of the work, the second part of the book "How to be friends with the state?" was written and published.
Tatiana is a winner of the open competition «Leaders of Russia. Politics 2020».

Mikhail Shalumov
Deputy Head of Department - Head of Division for Systematisation of Legislation and Analysis of Judicial Practice in Criminal Matters, Department for Systematisation of Legislation and Analysis of Judicial Practice, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation