A judge in the UK in May urged billionaire Vladimir Potanin and his ex-wife Natalia to try to negotiate an out-of-court property division, given "extremely turbulent times," Bloomberg wrote without specifying the source of the information. According to the agency, Potanin participated in a closed-door meeting of the family court in May via video link from his home in Russia.

What was the reaction of Potanin to this proposal, Bloomberg did not report. At the end of June, the billionaire achieved the transfer of the consideration of the claim to the Supreme Court of Great Britain, a representative of the entrepreneur told the agency. Potanin had the right to do so after an appeals court in England in May 2021 allowed Natalia Potanina to file a new lawsuit against the billionaire for the division of property after a divorce. But a few days later, Potanin fell under British sanctions, and the process "was in limbo," writes Bloomberg.

The Potanins' litigation has been going on for more than eight years. The couple has been married since 1983, and in 2013 the billionaire filed for divorce. A court in Moscow in February 2014 annulled the marriage. Potanina demands a 50% share of her ex-husband in Norilsk Nickel. On the Moscow Exchange, the company's market capitalization on August 2 was more than 2.39 trillion rubles. In January 2019, Potanina received permission from the British court for the trial, but Potanin disputed this. On November 8, 2019, the court reviewed the decision and rejected the petition of Natalia Potanina. She filed an appeal and again won the right to file a lawsuit.

London has been a popular place for the courts of wealthy Russians and Russian companies, especially after the dispute between Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky, wrote Bloomberg. However, after the start of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, the situation has changed: large law firms have become more likely to refuse to work with Russians, fearing reputational risks, the agency claims. However, the complete “cancellation” of Russians does not occur: British companies apply to the government for special licenses to provide services to Russians, Bloomberg noted.