Luhansk court orders Russia to pay $1.6 million for sunflower seeds

The Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast issued a ruling requiring Russia to pay UAH 65.36 million, approximately $1.6 million, to Oliiar. The compensation covers 2,107 tonnes of sunflower seeds that remained in storage when Russian forces seized the company's facility in occupied Svatove. The court based the amount on an expert valuation of the lost crop.

Oliiar, a private firm registered in Pustomyty in Lviv Oblast, entered a purchase agreement in October 2021 with Prydniprovske Agrarian Company LLC. The deal involved 4,700 tonnes of the 2021 harvest. Svatove-Ahro LLC was contracted to store the shipment. By February 24, 2022, the warehouse had transferred 2,592 tonnes to Oliiar, leaving the remaining 2,107 tonnes on site.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian armed groups took control of the warehouse. Oliiar did not recover the remaining seeds. The court found that the company provided conclusive evidence linking the loss directly to Russia's armed aggression. Russia is represented in the case by its Ministry of Justice.

This decision aligns with a prior ruling from the same court. In that earlier case, the judge ordered Russia to pay UAH 51.67 million, roughly $1.25 million, to Trading House Agrokhim LLC. That payment covers property lost in Svatove and in Kakhovka in Kherson Oblast.

Iryna Zalizna is listed as the founder of Oliiar, and Iryna Podoba serves as its director. The ruling was released on October 24, 2026.