Court Orders Russia to Pay $1.6 Million to Lviv Region Firm Over Sunflower Seeds Lost in Occupied Svatove

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast has ruled that Russia must pay UAH 65.36 million, roughly US$1.6 million, to Oliiar, a private company that lost a stock of sunflower seeds when its storage facility in occupied Svatove was taken over. The information comes from the court's ruling.

The case dates back to October 2021, when Oliiar agreed to purchase 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds from the 2021 harvest. The seller was Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. Oliiar also arranged for Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop.

The supplier delivered the entire consignment to a warehouse in Svatove run by Svatove-Ahro. By 24 February 2022, the facility had sent 2,592 tonnes on to Oliiar. That left 2,107 tonnes still in storage.

After the full-scale invasion began, Russian armed groups seized the warehouse premises where the remaining seeds were held. Oliiar never recovered that portion of its purchase.

In its decision, the court concluded that Oliiar had presented conclusive evidence that the loss of the crop was a direct result of Russia's armed aggression. It ordered Russia, represented by the Russian Ministry of Justice, to pay the compensation. The figure of UAH 65.36 million was set on the basis of an expert valuation.

Oliiar is registered in Pustomyty, in Lviv Oblast. Iryna Zalizna is listed as its founder, and Iryna Podoba as its director.

The ruling follows a similar decision by the same court. Earlier, it ordered Russia to pay UAH 51.67 million, about US$1.25 million, to Trading House Agrokhim LLC for property lost in Svatove, in Luhansk Oblast, and in Kakhovka, in Kherson Oblast.