Derzhzembank demands nearly UAH 500 million from farmers, most of which are fines

Scale of financial claims against tenants

The State Land Bank (Unified State Register of Legal Entities code 00692334), which is owned by the State Property Fund of Ukraine, has accumulated significant debt from the agricultural sector. According to available data, as of 30 September, the total amount of financial claims against tenants reached UAH 487.1 million. At the same time, the principal debt accounts for only UAH 74 million, while the rest consists of various sanctions.

The structure of the debt is as follows:

• UAH 74 million — principal debt;
• UAH 338.1 million — fines;
• UAH 61.4 million — penalty;
• UAH 13.6 million — interest.

Thus, the amount of penalty sanctions exceeds the principal debt by 5.6 times. Currently, the bank is involved in court proceedings with approximately 100 agricultural enterprises. Mykhailo Sokolov, a representative of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, noted that inflated rental rates, reaching UAH 40,000–45,000 per hectare, were used to squeeze competitors out of the market.

Court practice and reduction of fines

In many cases, courts did not agree with the size of the state enterprise's claims and significantly reduced the penalties. For example, in case No. 308/10239/26, Derzhzembank demanded UAH 148,345 from a tenant for a one-day delay in payment for a plot of 35.3092 hectares. The court reduced the fine to UAH 44,503.60 and additionally collected UAH 148.35 in interest.

Another example is cases No. 924/774/26 and No. 924/775/26 against the company "Simya 2019". The bank demanded UAH 1.016 million and UAH 604,300 respectively for payment delays. The court reduced these amounts to UAH 762,060 and UAH 453,230.

In case No. 902/404/26 against the enterprise "Hychak Ya.K." for the lease of 115.18 hectares, the bank demanded UAH 8.505 million, of which UAH 8.442 million were fines. The court ordered the collection of only UAH 890,700, rejecting claims for over UAH 7.6 million. Also, in case No. 912/756/26, claims for UAH 4.133 million were filed against the company "Novoselivka-Agro", consisting of UAH 321,300 in debt, UAH 3.763 million in fines, and UAH 48,800 in interest.

Financial indicators of the institution

Despite disputes with tenants, the financial results of Derzhzembank demonstrate rapid growth. As of 1 November 2026, the bank had 1,149 lease agreements covering a total area of 69,200 hectares, with annual rent for them amounting to UAH 1.2 billion. Approximately 30,000 hectares of this area are located near the front line, are mined, or overgrown with forest.

According to 2025 reporting data, the bank's revenue increased from UAH 41.96 million to UAH 745.86 million, and profit stood at UAH 382.2 million. The enterprise's assets were valued at UAH 3.49 billion, and liabilities at UAH 533.9 million. The staff numbered only 27 employees. In the first half of 2026, the bank received UAH 593.95 million in revenue and UAH 352.28 million in profit, while assets grew to UAH 3.57 billion.

Personnel changes and management

In the last two years, Derzhzembank has had three directors and four heads of the supervisory board. Since June 2026, Andrii Vydiborets has been performing the duties of director; he previously worked as the chief accountant of the State Property Fund and as a tax official under the leadership of Roman Nasiriv. His monthly salary is UAH 249,000, while his predecessor Yaroslav Yaroslavskyi received UAH 192,000 (his income for 2025 was UAH 2.28 million). The former head of the enterprise, Oleksandr Vasylenko, was mentioned in publications related to the "Mindichgate" scandal.

The bank also plans to spend UAH 10 million on the purchase of four cars, computers, and the creation of a website. People's Deputy Bohdan Torokhtiy suggested that officials of the State Property Fund might use the cars, but Vydiborets denies this.

Connections with the State Property Fund and reform plans

On 30 October, former Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn became the head of the Derzhzembank supervisory board instead of Iryna Ivanova. The appointment was presented by Artem Glazunov — the head of the company "Lid/Og'yuri" (Unified State Register of Legal Entities code 41309623). According to registry data, until 27 August 2019, the beneficiary of this company was Dmytro Natalukha, after which the enterprise was managed by Dmytro Topchiy and Artem Glazunov. This connection was previously mentioned in the context of appointments to the supervisory board of "Kharkivenergosbyt".

Iryna Ivanova accused the head of the State Property Fund, Dmytro Natalukha, of pressure aimed at forcing her resignation, but Natalukha denies these accusations. Ivanova also claims that discussions on land bonds with the Office of the President began as early as spring.

Dmytro Natalukha proposes introducing securitisation of land payments, issuing bonds, and converting Derzhzembank into a joint-stock company with the involvement of large agricultural companies. For 2027, the bank plans to reduce the leased land area from 69,000 to 65,000 hectares, which is explained by problems with insolvent tenants.

Issues regarding the use of land by scientific institutions

Separate disputes have arisen over the use of land belonging to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, which has a scientific purpose. It was transferred for the commercial cultivation of sunflower, soy, and wheat, which led to prosecutor's claims regarding the violation of the intended purpose. On 29 October, land plots in Kharkiv were put up for a 14-year lease for use under "advanced agro-practices". Meanwhile, the materials contain data on grain exports: in September, it stood at 6 million tonnes against a planned 20 million tonnes.