Russian State Owes $1.6 Million for 2,107 Tonnes of Seized Seeds

A private seed company in western Ukraine is set to receive UAH 65.36 million, or roughly $1.6 million, from the Russian state. The payment covers 2,107 tonnes of sunflower seeds that vanished from a warehouse in occupied Svatove. The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast issued the ruling, placing the financial burden on the Russian Ministry of Justice.

The dispute began in October 2021, when Oliiar contracted to buy 4,700 tonnes of the 2021 harvest from Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. The firm arranged for Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop at a local facility. By February 24, 2022, the storage company had shipped 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar. That left 2,107 tonnes in the warehouse when the invasion started. Russian armed groups subsequently seized the premises, and Oliiar never recovered the remaining stock.

The court accepted the company's evidence that the loss was a direct result of armed aggression. Judges used an expert valuation to set the compensation figure. Oliiar is registered in Pustomyty, Lviv Oblast, with Iryna Zalizna as founder and Iryna Podoba as director.

This verdict follows a similar decision by the same court regarding different assets. The judges previously ordered Russia to pay UAH 51.67 million to Trading House Agrokhim LLC. That earlier sum covered property losses in both Svatove and Kakhovka.

The ruling provides a specific monetary settlement for the seized agricultural goods. The decision rests on the court's finding that the Russian state bears responsibility for the missing inventory.