Seizure during the war: how control over Ukraine’s agricultural land is increasingly shifting to oligarchs and foreign investors

Since the start of Russian military aggression in February 2022, Ukraine has been at the center of global public attention. However, according to a new report, the focus is not only on the armed conflict but also on the struggle for control over the country’s agricultural land, long known as the ‘breadbasket of Europe.’

According to a study conducted by the research center *The Oakland Institute*, about 28% of all arable land in Ukraine is currently in the hands of oligarchs and large agribusinesses, most of which are registered in offshore zones or owned by foreign investors. The report indicates that 33 million hectares of Ukraine’s fertile land have become the object of interest for both local and foreign corporations, despite millions of Ukrainian farmers continuing to work with limited access to land and financing.

The report also highlights the role of Western financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in pressuring the Ukrainian government to implement land reform. This reform, carried out in 2021, allowed large companies and foreign investors to more actively acquire agricultural land in the country.

Despite promises that opening the land market would bring economic benefits to Ukraine, rural residents fear that the reforms will lead to increased control over agricultural land by oligarchs and foreign investors. The report states that large agribusinesses continue to receive funding from international financial organizations, while small farmers face significant challenges in accessing loans and investments.

The study calls on the international community to reconsider the conditions for providing financial assistance to Ukraine and to pay attention to the social and economic issues associated with the concentration of land in the hands of a few, to prevent the strengthening of control over the country’s agricultural sector by oligarchs and foreign investors.”