Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire, will have to fight a $4bn (€2.5bn) claim brought against him in the High Court in London following an extraordinary judgment that cites assassination, corrupt judges and Kremlin interference as the risks of running a trial in Russia.

The clash with Michael Cherney, one of the founding fathers of Russia’s aluminium industry, over whether he is owed a 20 per cent stake in Mr Deripaska’s Rusal, will complicate the billionaire’s plans to list the company.