Shabo vineyards in Odesa set ablaze again

Yesterday, 6 April, the Shabo vineyards in the village of Shabo, Odesa region, were set on fire again. This information was shared by businessman and French winemaker Christophe Lacaren, who grows various grape varieties and is involved in wine production.

According to the entrepreneur, he is being targeted by real bandits who are waging a war against him, doing everything in their power to push the Frenchman out of the market and seize his business. However, there is no reliable information on who these people are.

What happened

According to odessa online, approximately one hectare of vineyards burned down on 6 April. Christophe Lacaren himself is convinced that chaos reigns in Ukraine. Serious changes are needed for the state to develop. However, at present, the situation is only worsening. The police are either inactive or fighting against volunteers, as happened today in Kyiv.

At the same time, the French entrepreneur expressed his gratitude to the firefighters for their prompt and heroic work. The fire was extinguished in less than an hour.

It is worth remembering that this is far from the first arson attack on the Shabo vineyards. Last August, the grape plantations were already subjected to attacks by unknown individuals. However, information about this was subsequently called false.

According to law enforcement officials, only dry grass was burning. The area of the fire was just one hectare, instead of the 20 hectares claimed by Lacaren. Police officers stated that there were no vineyards in the specified area; it was an empty, abandoned field with no signs whatsoever – no posts, wire, or other items used for grape cultivation. Law enforcement officials were left with the impression that nothing had grown on the plot for about 10 years, except for weeds reaching human height.

The information about the arson was also refuted at the time by the head of the State Food and Security Service.

Cause of the conflict

The French winemaker has a long-standing dispute with the landlords or Shabo. Many of them are dissatisfied with the investor's activities. The main complaint is the neglect of the land, which was allocated for grape growing but is simply left idle instead.

The litigation between the shareholders and the tenant has been ongoing for several years. The case is currently before the Odesa Regional Court of Appeal, and it is not ruled out that the dispute will be resolved in favour of the landlords in the near future.