Russia Ordered to Pay $1.6 Million to Lviv Region Firm for Lost Sunflower Seeds

A court ordered Russia to pay $1.6 million to a private company after its sunflower seeds were lost in occupied Svatove. The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast ruled that Russia must compensate Oliiar, a private company from the Lviv region, for the loss of sunflower seeds. Oliiar had purchased 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds in October 2021 but only received 2,592 tonnes before Russian forces seized the warehouse. The remaining 2,107 tonnes were never recovered, and the court concluded that the loss was due to Russia's armed aggression.

The court ordered Russia, represented by the Russian Ministry of Justice, to pay $1.6 million based on an expert valuation. Oliiar is registered in Pustomyty, in Lviv Oblast, and is owned by Iryna Zalizna, with Iryna Podoba as its director. This ruling follows another decision by the same court, which ordered Russia to pay $1.25 million to Trading House Agrokhim LLC for property lost in Svatove and Kakhovka.

The case dates back to October 2021, when Oliiar agreed to purchase 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds from the 2021 harvest. The supplier delivered the entire consignment to a warehouse in Svatove run by Svatove-Ahro LLC. 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.

The ruling is the latest in a series of court decisions that have ordered Russia to pay compensation to Ukrainian companies for property lost during the war. 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 to pay the compensation, which was set at $1.6 million based on an expert valuation.