Looting at a factory in Kherson resulted in compensation for Russia

The occupation of Kherson left behind not only destroyed buildings but also multimillion losses for local businesses. In Odesa, a court ruled to award nearly half a billion hryvnias in compensation to a Kherson-based company that lost property during the Russian occupation. 

This is evidenced by a ruling from the Commercial Court of the Odesa Region 

According to the investigation, Ekobiotek-Ukraine LLC filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation, represented by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Federal Treasury, the Central Bank, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The company sought compensation for losses it suffered due to the loss of its property during the Russian occupation of Kherson.

As the court determined, the company owned a production facility on Raketna Street in Kherson, where it produced refined sunflower oil. The plant’s premises housed production lines, warehouse inventory, office equipment, vehicles, and other equipment.

Following the occupation of Kherson, the company was unable to continue operations. In August 2022, Russian military personnel, accompanied by representatives of the occupying authorities, entered the company’s premises. From there, they removed production equipment, finished products, oil containers, and other property, using both their own vehicles and the company’s vehicles.

After the city was liberated, the owners were able to inspect the production facility. They documented the complete looting of property, damage to buildings, destruction of equipment, and evidence of the Russian military’s presence. Criminal proceedings were initiated based on these facts, and the company was recognized as the aggrieved party.

The extent of the damages was determined through a comprehensive judicial examination involving commodity, construction and technical, land, and economic expertise. Experts estimated the company’s losses at over 486 million hryvnias, which is equivalent to over 11.2 million U.S. dollars or over 9.6 million euros.

As a result, the court ordered the Russian Federation to pay nearly half a billion hryvnias in compensation to the company, as well as an additional 1.1 million hryvnias in court fees to be paid to Ukraine’s state budget.

In April, the Odesa-based LLC “Olvia Wine and Cognac Plant” filed a lawsuit seeking compensation of over 148 million hryvnias for damages caused by Russian shelling. This pertains to products destroyed in warehouses in the Mykolaiv region as a result of drone attacks in 2024.

Анна Бальчінос