Russia Owes $1.6 Million for Seeds

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast ordered Russia to pay 65.36 million hryvnia, approximately 1.6 million dollars, to Oliiar. The compensation covers sunflower seeds left in a warehouse in Svatove when Russian forces seized the facility.

Oliiar purchased 4,700 tonnes of the 2021 harvest from Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC in October 2021. The company arranged for Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop. By February 24, 2022, the storage facility had delivered 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar. The remaining 2,107 tonnes stayed in the warehouse until Russian armed groups occupied the premises.

The court found that Oliiar provided conclusive evidence linking the loss of the crop directly to Russia's armed aggression. The judgment names the Russian Ministry of Justice as the liable party. An expert valuation determined the 65.36 million hryvnia figure. This ruling follows a similar decision by the same court, which ordered Russia to pay 51.67 million hryvnia to Trading House Agrokhim LLC for property lost in Svatove and Kakhovka.

Oliiar is registered in Pustomyty, Lviv Oblast. Iryna Zalizna serves as the founder, and Iryna Podoba is the director. The company represents a private business seeking recovery of assets held in occupied territory. The decision establishes a precedent for compensating private entities for specific goods lost during the conflict.

The ruling confirms the court's willingness to hold the Russian state financially responsible for assets seized in Luhansk Oblast. The amount awarded reflects the market value of the specific quantity of seeds not delivered. This follows the earlier judgment involving Trading House Agrokhim LLC, which covered losses in both Luhansk and Kherson oblasts.