WSJ: The company of the ex-minister of agriculture of Russia seized more than 160 thousand hectares of land in Ukraine

The family company of former Russian Minister of Agriculture Oleksandr Tkachev seized more than 400 000 acres (161 000 hectares) of agricultural land in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about this, citing the affected companies and data from Ukrainian intelligence and prosecutors.

Three Ukrainian agricultural companies lost their land: Agroton, Harvest Holding and Nibulon. Agroton lost 250 thousand hectares, Harvest — 100 thousand hectares, Nibulon — more than 20 234 hectares. The land was seized by the Russian company "Agrocomplex named after MI Tkachev", which belongs to the Tkachev family.

Lands began to be confiscated shortly after Russia established so-called military-civilian administrations in the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. Those who were in the military or civil service of Ukraine or lived outside the regions were the first to lose their lands. Administration representatives appointed by Russia, accompanied by armed men, began to arrive at the farms. They told the landowners that from now on the land belonged to them and demanded, sometimes at gunpoint, to rewrite the property rights in accordance with Russian laws. Some farmers were allowed to keep their lands on the condition that 70% of the harvest would go to Russia or the "L/DPR".