Ukrainian oil producer wins US$10.9m in court case against Russia

The Commercial Court of Odesa Oblast has ruled in favor of Ukrainian oil producer Ekobiotek-Ukraina LLC, ordering the Russian Federation to compensate the company for losses amounting to UAH 486 million (approximately US$10.9 million).

Ekobiotek-Ukraina LLC is a plant that produces refined deodorized oil from natural raw materials and is registered in Kherson. The company also owns a two-hectare plot of land located next to the Oleshky-Hola Prystan road.

As a result of Russia's armed aggression and the occupation of Kherson and Kherson Oblast, the company was deprived of the ability to conduct business at its own production facilities. According to the court ruling, in 2022, individuals in civilian clothing accompanied by large numbers of Russian military personnel removed finished products (containers of oil and other items) from the warehouse, using their own vehicles and transport found on the company's premises.

After the de-occupation of the city of Kherson and the restoration of access to the facility, the plaintiff established that as a result of Russian military personnel being present on the company's territory, property, including inventory assets, had been completely looted and destroyed. Numerous instances of damage to buildings and structures were recorded: broken locks, smashed windows, damaged doors, destroyed elements of production equipment, as well as other signs of looting and deliberate destruction of property.

According to expert findings, the total value of damages inflicted by the Russian Federation on Ekobiotek-Ukraina amounts to UAH 486 million. Judge Maryna Sulimovska ruled to recover this amount from the state of the Russian Federation, represented by the Russian Ministry of Justice, the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Russian Federal Treasury, the Central Bank of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in favour of Ekobiotek-Ukraina LLC.