On February 5–11, the Russian Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition took place within the walls of Saint Petersburg State University. Thirteen teams from the country’s top universities joined the competition. The Russian Rounds were supported by Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners (RGD), Saint Petersburg State University, International and Comparative Law Research Center (ICLRC), Pericles Law Center for Legal Education, and Russian Law Students Association (RLSA).

Jessup is the world's largest and most prestigious moot court competition for students. Now in its 65th year, Jessup has set a new record – 674 participating teams from 100 jurisdictions. The moot court has three stages: first, teams submit written memorials and then present their oral pleadings at the National Rounds and, if they have proven to be the best of the best, at the International Rounds. The competition requires future lawyers to represent fictional countries, as applicant and respondent, in a dispute on the pressing issues of international law before the International Court of Justice. Judges include leading legal practitioners, professors, and judges of domestic and international courts. RGD lawyers were among the Judges of the Preliminary, Quarter-final and Semi-final rounds of the Jessup Russia.

The Jessup 2024 Problem raises issues related to the right to political expression, statelessness, the right to a nationality, and the scope of the United Nations Security Council's authority in the pacific settlement of disputes. After overcoming multiple challenges in the competition, teams from HSE University and MGIMO University faced each other in the Final Round of Jessup Russia. This year’s final round bench, comprising Alfredo Crosato Neumann, Assistant Professor of International Law at Kadir Has University (Türkiye), consultant on international law and international dispute resolution; Daria Boklan, Professor, Deputy Head of the School of International Law at HSE University, and Andrey Kozik, Professor, Regional Legal Coordinator of the International Committee of the Red Cross, awarded the Jessup Russia Cup to the MGIMO University team and elected Victoria Polshakova (HSE University) and Anna Kasperovich (MGIMO University) as the Final Round’s best oralists. Top teams and oralists with the best scores for written memorials and performance in the Preliminary Rounds received books by the most influential international law experts as prizes from RGD.

Jessup Russia has a history of more than two decades, and RGD has been its General Sponsor & Partner since 2022. At the ceremony before the Final Round of the competition Dmitry Dyakin, Partner and Co-Head of the Dispute Resolution Practice, and Maria Blagovolina, Managing Partner and Head of the White Collar Practice, addressed the participants with welcoming remarks. They highlighted that the competition provides students with a unique opportunity to prove themselves, gain practical skills in handling contemporary issues of international law, and take a step towards their future careers. Participants of the Jessup are always welcome to join the internship at RGD.

"The Jessup spirit is about taking on a challenge and prevailing over yourself. I have been with this competition for more than a decade and have taken the roles of a participant, coach, and judge. Now, as the administrator, I am happy that, with RGD’s help, I can give students an opportunity to experience the same drive, to really feel their horizon and what they are capable of expand fay beyond their expectations. A Jessuper is a future lawyer who will stand out among peers," said Evgenia Neverova, Senior Associate with RGD’s Dispute Resolution Practice and Administrator of Jessup Russia in 2022–2024.