Businessman from Mykolaiv region sowed land of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 95 million without permission

The court refused to arrest the property of the company whose owner is suspected of land fraud. The company cultivated more than 800 hectares of state land intended for the needs of the Armed Forces.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Vitovsky District Court of Mykolaiv Region.

The court dismissed the investigators' request to seize the property of Agro-Victory, which belongs to the suspect in the illegal cultivation of land.

According to the criminal proceedings, the owner of the company cultivated land plots of more than 800 hectares in Mykolaiv district between October and December 2024 without the appropriate permits and joint cultivation agreements. In particular, he sowed winter wheat, rapeseed, and flax on these lands, which belong to the state and are intended for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in the spring of 2025.

According to law enforcement officers, such actions caused the state to suffer losses in excess of UAH 95 million. On June 25, 2025, the suspect was officially notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 197-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - illegal use of land.

Prosecutors and investigators filed a motion with the court to seize the movable and immovable property of Agro-Victory to ensure that the company could recover damages. However, the judge, having reviewed the materials, dismissed the motion.

The judge explained that the pre-trial investigation did not establish the involvement of the company itself in the criminal offense, and the officials of Agro-Victory did not have the status of suspects or accused. Therefore, the seizure of the company's property was found to be unjustified.

He added that, according to court practice, measures to ensure criminal proceedings, including the seizure of property, can only be applied to persons who have procedural status in the case or to persons who are legally liable. In this case, there is no such basis. Law enforcement officers are currently continuing the investigation.

Also, the land use engineer of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovska CHP failed to control the use of the land plot assigned to the Ministry of Defense, which resulted in more than 24.7 hectares of land being illegally sown with crops in 2022-2023.

Анна Бальчінос