Ukrainian Court Orders Russia to Pay $1.88 Million for Destroyed Property

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A Kyiv commercial court has ordered the Russian Federation to pay $1.88 million in damages for property belonging to a Ukrainian entrepreneur that was destroyed in occupied Berdiansk.
• The destroyed property included a land plot and tourist complex used by entrepreneur Maryna Baranova for her tourism business.
• The buildings were destroyed during a Russian missile attack on Berdiansk in July 2023, according to the case materials.
• The court partially upheld the entrepreneur’s claim in case No. 910/13090/25, while rejecting parts of the claim related to movable property and the claimant’s own recalculation of damages.
• The ruling adds to Ukrainian court practice allowing individuals and businesses to seek compensation from Russia for damage caused by the full-scale invasion, although obtaining payment from Russia remains a separate practical challenge.

A Kyiv commercial court has ordered Russia to pay $1.88 million in compensation for property belonging to a Ukrainian entrepreneur that was destroyed in occupied Berdiansk. The ruling concerns a tourist complex destroyed during a Russian missile attack in July 2023 and represents another Ukrainian court decision holding Russia financially responsible for wartime property damage.

Court Awards $1.88 Million in Damages

The Commercial Court of Kyiv partially upheld a lawsuit filed by Ukrainian entrepreneur Maryna Baranova against the Russian Federation.

According to the case materials, Baranova owned land and a complex of buildings in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region, before Russia’s full-scale invasion. The property was used for tourism-related business activities.

The court ordered Russia, represented in the proceedings by its Ministry of Defence, to pay approximately $1.88 million in damages.

The decision was issued in July 2026 in case No. 910/13090/25.

Tourist Complex Destroyed in Berdiansk

The property was located in Berdiansk, a Ukrainian city that has been under Russian occupation since 2022.

According to the case materials, the buildings were destroyed during one of Russia’s missile attacks on the city in July 2023. An expert assessment was used to determine the extent and value of the losses.

The destruction meant that the entrepreneur lost not only individual buildings but an entire business asset used for tourism.

The case therefore involved both the physical destruction of property and the financial consequences for its owner.

Expert Assessment of the Damage

The court considered several assessments of the value of the destroyed property.

The article based on the court case says that the value of the damage was assessed at $1.23 million, or approximately UAH 33.5 million, based on 2022 values. Another calculation in the proceedings placed the material damage at UAH 17.89 million.

The entrepreneur had initially sought a substantially larger total amount of approximately UAH 83.25 million, equivalent to about $2.02 million at the exchange rate cited in the case.

The court ultimately awarded $1.88 million while rejecting several components of the claim.

Not All of the Claim Was Accepted

The ruling did not grant the entrepreneur’s entire request.

The court rejected the part of the claim concerning the market value of destroyed movable property, which had been assessed at approximately UAH 793,211.

It also did not accept the claimant’s own recalculation of the material damage.

The final award was therefore lower than the total amount originally requested.

Why the Court Held Russia Responsible

The court examined Ukrainian legislation and international agreements when determining whether the claim could be considered by a Ukrainian court.

The ruling relied on legal provisions concerning disputes over compensation for damage and the jurisdiction of courts in the place where the damage occurred.

Ukrainian courts have increasingly relied on principles established by the Supreme Court after Russia’s aggression began.

The Supreme Court has previously recognized that Ukrainian courts can consider claims seeking compensation from Russia for damage caused by Russian military aggression.

Ukrainian Courts Have Built a Body of Case Law

The Berdiansk case is not an isolated example.

Ukrainian courts have issued numerous decisions ordering Russia to compensate Ukrainian individuals and companies for property destroyed or damaged during the war.

The Supreme Court has noted that hundreds of such cases have been considered by Ukrainian courts, covering both individuals and businesses.

One earlier case involved a Ukrainian industrial company whose property in Ternopil was destroyed by a Russian missile strike in 2023. A commercial court ordered Russia to pay more than UAH 503 million, approximately $12.2 million at the time.

Compensation Is Still Difficult to Collect

A Ukrainian court ruling in favor of a victim does not automatically mean that Russia will voluntarily pay the awarded amount.

This remains one of the central difficulties surrounding individual judgments against the Russian Federation.

Legal experts have noted that Ukrainian court decisions can nevertheless serve as important evidence of losses and may support claims within broader international compensation mechanisms.

The Berdiansk ruling should therefore be viewed both as a domestic judgment and as part of the broader process of documenting Russia’s financial responsibility for damage caused by the war.

International Register of Damage Offers Another Route

Ukraine is also developing an international mechanism for documenting war-related losses through the Register of Damage for Ukraine.

The register allows people and businesses affected by Russia’s aggression to submit evidence of property destruction and other losses.

The Supreme Court has noted that the international compensation mechanism is still being developed and that registration of a claim does not itself mean that compensation will automatically be paid.

The Ukrainian system therefore operates alongside the emerging international framework.

Businesses Face Particular Challenges

For businesses, destruction of property can have consequences extending well beyond the value of the buildings themselves.

A destroyed tourist complex can mean lost equipment, interrupted operations, lost revenue and the disappearance of an entire business location.

This is particularly difficult for Ukrainian companies whose assets were located in territories that are now occupied and inaccessible to their owners.

The legal process can therefore become one of the few ways for owners to formally establish the scale and cause of their losses.

Occupied Territories Create Additional Problems

Property destroyed in occupied territories presents special challenges for Ukrainian owners.

Physical access to the site may be impossible, while documentation and expert assessment may have to rely on records created before occupation, photographs, satellite information and other evidence.

Ukraine’s compensation mechanisms have also faced criticism because some destroyed property in occupied territories cannot be inspected directly.

This makes court proceedings and international damage documentation particularly important for owners whose property remains inaccessible.

A Growing Record of Russian Liability

Every successful judgment adds to the growing body of Ukrainian legal decisions documenting specific cases of property destruction caused by Russian aggression.

These rulings establish the circumstances of individual losses and assign financial responsibility to Russia under Ukrainian law.

They can also contribute to the broader legal record being assembled for future international compensation mechanisms.

What the Berdiansk Ruling Means

The $1.88 million award does not mean that the entrepreneur has already received the money.

Instead, the court has established Russia’s financial liability in this particular case and determined the amount of compensation that should be recovered.

The practical enforcement of such a judgment remains a separate issue.

Nevertheless, the ruling provides another example of Ukrainian courts treating property destruction caused by Russian military aggression as a compensable loss for which the aggressor state can be held responsible.

The Kyiv court’s decision to award $1.88 million to a Ukrainian entrepreneur whose tourist complex was destroyed in occupied Berdiansk adds to Ukraine’s growing body of case law on compensation for war-related property losses. While collecting the money from Russia remains a major challenge, such judgments establish documented financial claims and could become important evidence in Ukraine’s broader effort to secure compensation for damage caused by Russian aggression.