The owner of the destroyed FOZZY in Odesa won a 291 million lawsuit in Russia

A court in Odesa ruled in favor of PJSC “Expansia Retail” and ordered the Russian Federation to pay more than 291 million hryvnias for the destroyed “FOZZY” hypermarket in Odesa. A massive rocket strike by Russian forces in August 2023 caused a large-scale fire and the destruction of the shopping complex.

This is stated in the ruling of the Commercial Court of Odesa Oblast.

The court also ordered the Russian Federation to pay 931,840 hryvnias in court fees to Ukraine’s state budget.

The verdict will take legal effect after the appeal period expires and will serve as the legal basis for recovering compensation from seized Russian assets abroad or through special international reparations mechanisms.

The case file indicates that a technical examination concluded that the building is beyond repair. An independent assessment determined the amount of direct material damages to be 291,593,691 UAH (equivalent to 8.01 million U.S. dollars). Prior to the shelling, the premises were leased and provided the company with a steady income.

The Russian Federation, represented by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, was the defendant in the case. Due to the severance of diplomatic relations with the aggressor country, it was notified of the proceedings through official publications. 

The damage to the hypermarket occurred on the night of August 13–14, 2023, when Russian troops launched a massive strike on civilian targets in Odesa. A massive fire broke out in the FOZZY retail and service complex after rocket debris struck the building. The fire completely destroyed the facility, which covered an area of 11,422.6 square meters.
 

Юлія Калабайда