Luhansk court orders Russia to pay $1.6 million for seeds lost in Svatove

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast ordered Russia to pay UAH 65.36 million, or approximately US$1.6 million, to Oliiar. The compensation covers a stock of sunflower seeds that remained in a storage facility in Svatove when Russian forces took control of the area.

Oliiar, a private firm registered in Pustomyty in Lviv Oblast, entered a contract in October 2021 to buy 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds from the 2021 harvest. The seller was Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. Oliiar arranged for Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop at a warehouse in Svatove.

The supplier delivered the full amount to the facility. By February 24, 2022, the warehouse had shipped 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar. That left 2,107 tonnes in storage when the full-scale invasion began. Russian armed groups seized the premises, and Oliiar never recovered the remaining seeds.

The court found that Oliiar provided conclusive evidence linking the loss of the crop directly to Russia's armed aggression. It assigned the debt to the Russian Ministry of Justice, which represents the state. The compensation figure was determined through an expert valuation of the lost goods.

Iryna Zalizna is listed as the founder of Oliiar, while Iryna Podoba serves as its director. The ruling is consistent with a previous decision by the same court. That earlier order required Russia to pay UAH 51.67 million, about US$1.25 million, to Trading House Agrokhim LLC for property lost in Svatove and Kakhovka.

The case concluded with the issuance of the final ruling. The court's document specifies the exact amount owed and the responsible party for payment. No further appeals or procedural steps are mentioned in the provided text.