Russia Must Pay Lviv Firm 65.36 Million Hryvnia Over Svatove Seed Loss

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast has ordered Russia to pay 65.36 million hryvnia, about $1.6 million, to Oliiar, a private firm registered in Pustomyty, Lviv Oblast. The court's ruling states that the Russian Ministry of Justice must cover the payment. The sum was set on the basis of an expert valuation.

The case stems from an October 2021 contract in which Oliiar agreed to buy 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds from Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC and contracted Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop. The supplier delivered the full consignment to a Svatove warehouse. By 24 February 2022, Svatove-Ahro had forwarded 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar, leaving 2,107 tonnes in storage. Russian armed groups seized the warehouse premises after the full-scale invasion began, and Oliiar did not recover that portion of its purchase.

The court concluded that Oliiar had presented conclusive evidence tying the loss to Russia's armed aggression. Oliiar lists Iryna Zalizna as its founder and Iryna Podoba as its director. The ruling follows a prior decision by the same court ordering Russia to pay Trading House Agrokhim LLC 51.67 million hryvnia, about $1.25 million, over property lost in Svatove and in Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast.

No appeal timeline has been set in the ruling.