Russian Carmaker GAZ Files Third Lawsuit Against Volkswagen

Russian carmaker GAZ has filed a lawsuit worth 15.6 billion roubles ($200.5 million) against Volkswagen, court records show, adding to two others filed earlier this year.

The lawsuit, details of which have not been published, was filed with the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Arbitration Court on Friday.

GAZ did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Volkswagen declined to comment.

Earlier this year, GAZ filed two lawsuits against the German carmaker seeking a total of around $545 million in losses and damages, saying VW’s moves to exit the Russian market had put its interests at risk.

It initially persuaded a court to freeze Volkswagen’s assets in Russia pending court proceedings – a decision the court reversed in April.

Volkswagen is preparing to sell its Russian assets, including its flagship plant in the city of Kaluga that has annual production capacity of 225,000 vehicles, but no decision has been made and Russian government approval is pending.

($1 = 77.8055 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters, editing by Mark Trevelyan and Barbara Lewis)

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