“Our own against their own”: the occupiers raided an agricultural enterprise that had previously cooperated with them
27 October 2025 20:49
In the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, Russian security forces seized a large agricultural enterprise , Voynikov & Co. The armed men blocked work in the fields, took away equipment and documents.
This is reported by The Moscow Times, as well as by appeals from employees who recorded a video to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin asking him to intervene, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to them, harvesting has been stopped on an area of about 1,000 hectares, and more than 10,000 tons of grain may be lost or taken away by raiders.
Who is behind the seizure
According to The Moscow Times, the company was transferred to the disposal of the company Partner Union LLC by the decision of the so-called “Ministry of Property and Land Relations” of the occupation administration.
The occupation authorities justified this by claiming that the company was allegedly “mismanaged,” although the employees remained on site and continued to operate.
Lawlessness is worse than in the 90s
The situation provoked a reaction even among Russian public figures who usually support the war.
Z-propagandist Zergulio admitted that farmers used to “help the Russian army” but now “fell under the gun”.
Russian singer Victoria Tsyganova, who openly supports the Russian invasion, called the event “lawlessness worse than in the 90s” and said that in the occupied territories “armed people are taking away shops, cafes, farms and equipment” and the local administration is “covering up” these actions.
Political background
The incident took place against the backdrop of the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Construction, which was supported by a government commission on October 20.
The document stipulates that property in the occupied territories of Ukraine, including enterprises and housing, can be recognized as “mismanaged” and transferred to the ownership of the occupation administrations, and then to Russian officials or the military.
Experts see this as an attempt to legalize the systematic appropriation of Ukrainian assets through quasi-legal schemes.
Who are the Voynikovs?
According to the Ukrainian Opendatabot, the founder of Voynikov & Co. is Volodymyr Voynikov, and the beneficial owner is Valentyna Voynikova.
In December 2023, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed personal sanctions against them because they cooperated with the occupiers by continuing to operate in Berdiansk and selling grain to Russia.
Russia is increasingly using the “laws” on mismanaged property to redistribute business in the occupied territories.
Even those who initially supported it are becoming the next victims of a system that takes away property – regardless of the flag on the facade.
