Luhansk court orders Russia to pay $1.6M for seized sunflower seeds

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast issued a ruling this month requiring Russia to pay 65.36 million hryvnia, approximately 1.6 million U.S. dollars, to Oliiar. The judgment addresses the loss of a sunflower seed inventory that was stored in the occupied town of Svatove.

Oliiar, a private company registered in Pustomyty, Lviv Oblast, agreed in October 2021 to purchase 4,700 tonnes of sunflower seeds from the Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. The firm arranged for Svatove-Ahro LLC to store the crop at a local warehouse. By the time Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the supplier had delivered the entire consignment. However, only 2,592 tonnes had been shipped to Oliiar by 24 February 2022, leaving 2,107 tonnes remaining in storage.

Following the start of the invasion, Russian armed groups seized the warehouse premises holding the remaining seeds. Oliiar never recovered that portion of its purchase. The court determined that the company provided conclusive evidence linking the loss directly to Russia's armed aggression. The compensation figure was established through an expert valuation of the missing crop.

Russia is represented in the proceedings by its Ministry of Justice. The court ordered the state to settle the claim in full. Iryna Zalizna is listed as the founder of Oliiar, while Iryna Podoba serves as its director.

This decision follows a similar earlier ruling by the same court. In that prior case, the court ordered Russia to pay 51.67 million hryvnia, roughly 1.25 million U.S. dollars, to Trading House Agrokhim LLC. That award covered property lost in both Svatove and Kakhovka in Kherson Oblast.