Russia's Ministry of Justice Named Liable for $1.6M in War-Related Seed Loss

A commercial court in Luhansk Oblast ordered Russia to pay UAH 65.36 million, approximately $1.6 million, to a Lviv-based firm for sunflower seeds lost in occupied territory. The ruling, issued this week, names the Russian Ministry of Justice as the liable party for the compensation.

The dispute involves Oliiar, a private company registered in Pustomyty. In October 2021, Oliiar contracted for 4,700 tonnes of the 2021 harvest from Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. The crop was stored at a facility in Svatove managed by Svatove-Ahro LLC.

By the morning of February 24, 2022, the storage facility had transferred 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar. The remaining 2,107 tonnes stayed in the warehouse. Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian armed groups seized the premises, and Oliiar did not recover the balance of the shipment.

The court accepted Oliiar’s evidence that the loss was a direct consequence of armed aggression. An expert valuation set the debt at 65.36 million hryvnia. Iryna Zalizna is listed as the founder of Oliiar, while Iryna Podoba serves as its director.

This decision mirrors a prior ruling by the same court. Earlier, judges ordered Russia to pay UAH 51.67 million, roughly $1.25 million, to Trading House Agrokhim LLC. That claim covered property lost in Svatove and in Kakhovka, located in Kherson Oblast.

The new judgment adds to the growing list of financial claims against the Russian state arising from assets seized during the war in Luhansk and Kherson regions.