Compensation for damages: 1.2 billion hryvnia will be recovered from Russia in favor of a Ukrainian agricultural holding company
22 June 02:18
The Commercial Court of Donetsk Oblast, currently located in Kharkiv, granted the claim filed by the agricultural company “Beta-Agro-Invest” and ordered the Russian Federation to pay the company damages for property loss and lost profits totaling 1.2 billion hryvnia, equivalent to $27.56 million. This is evidenced by the court’s decision dated June 15, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to “Apostrophe.”
Prior to the full-scale invasion, “Beta-Agro-Invest” cultivated 40,000 hectares of land in the Donetsk region, and its own land bank amounted to 25,000 hectares. The agricultural firm managed six production sites in the Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Bakhmut districts. These locations housed warehouses, facilities for receiving, cleaning, sorting, and storing produce, as well as repair shops for agricultural equipment.
The company’s fleet of machinery and vehicles included dozens of units, including John Deere tractors and combines, Scania tractor-trailers, KAMAZ and GAZ trucks, Bodex semi-trailers, truck cranes, trailers, and tankers.
Starting in 2022, due to active hostilities and the occupation of parts of its territory, the company lost control of its assets. A significant portion of its property was destroyed, damaged, or lost.
According to an assessment by KK Ostrov LLC, as of November 1, 2022, the agricultural company’s losses amounted to:
- 3,741 items of inventory;
- 239 units of real estate;
- 1,115 pieces of equipment;
- 54 vehicles.
The report also documents lost profits in the form of the company’s unrealized earnings. After reviewing the case materials, the court concluded that the Russian Federation, represented by its General Prosecutor’s Office, must pay the company the specified amount.
Beta-Agro-Invest LLC is now legally re-registered in the village of Maly Lystven in Chernihiv Oblast. Its founder is the Cypriot company BI.J.G. HARVEST GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED, and its director and beneficial owner is Yevhen Ishchenko-Giller from Yasynuvata, Donetsk Oblast. The company is part of the Ukrainian agricultural holding BIG Harvest Group (Beta Group), which specializes in crop production, dairy farming, and the provision of agricultural services.
