Ilyashev & Partners Law Firm successfully defended the interests of PJSC IC “PZU Ukraine”, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian insurance market, in a commercial dispute initiated by a major agricultural enterprise seeking to recover insurance indemnity, penalties, inflation losses, and fines totaling UAH 14.7 million.
The large-scale litigation centered on the circumstances surrounding a fire that occurred in December 2020 at the agricultural company’s warehouse premises in Ternopil Region. As a result of the incident, high-value agricultural machinery insured under voluntary property insurance policies was completely destroyed by fire.
Ilyashev & Partners’ Dispute Resolution practice team proved in the courts of first and appellate instances the lawfulness and validity of the insurer’s decision to deny insurance coverage. In particular, Ilyashev & Partners’ attorneys demonstrated that the policyholder had committed a gross violation of Ukrainian fire safety regulations, as well as essential terms of the insurance policies regarding the safe storage and operation of the insured property.
The court concurred with the firm’s legal position that the policyholder’s failure to comply with its obligations to prevent loss and its non-compliance with fire safety rules constitute a strict legal ground for denying insurance payout.
On 20 April 2026, the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal dismissed the agricultural enterprise’s appeal, confirming the lawfulness of the insurer’s actions and upholding the first-instance court judgment.
Challenging the decisions of the lower courts, the agricultural enterprise filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court. On 24 September 2026, the Supreme Court delivered its final judgment: the court once again agreed with the legal position advanced by Ilyashev & Partners’ team and upheld the decision of the court of first instance, which had fully dismissed the opponent’s claims. The judgment is final and non-appealable.
Ilyashev & Partners represented PJSC IC “PZU Ukraine” across all stages of the court proceedings, including before the Supreme Court.
The case was handled by Oleksandr Denysenko, Attorney at Law, Counsel at Ilyashev & Partners.
PJSC IC “PZU Ukraine” is part of PZU Group, one of the largest financial institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. The holding offers over 200 types of insurance products and manages assets exceeding EUR 70 billion. The company provides comprehensive insurance coverage for individual clients and large businesses across all key sectors of the Ukrainian economy.