The Supreme Court of Ukraine declared the agreement for the sale of the Pryazovske gas field invalid, citing significant violations of legislation. According to the decision of the Cassation Economic Court, made on April 14, 2026, the results of the auction, the special permit for subsoil use, and the purchase and sale agreement itself have been annulled.
This is reported by Finway
Gas Field of Strategic Importance
This concerns one of the oldest gas fields in Ukraine — Pryazovske, which was discovered back in 1929. Its area covers nearly 35 thousand hectares, housing over 110 wells, with a total volume of explored gas reserves exceeding 2.2 billion cubic meters. Given the strategic significance of this site, its market value is estimated at approximately 7.8 billion hryvnias.
Violations During the Auction and Undervalued Price
The case was initiated by the specialized environmental prosecutor’s office, which proved in court that a number of violations occurred during the implementation of the special permit. In particular, the agreement was made without the mandatory approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. The auction was conducted in the format of Dutch auctions with a decreasing price, resulting in the starting price of the lot being reduced by 39 times.
Only one company participated in the bidding, which media reports linked to a Ukrainian politician under sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council. The lack of competition allowed this company to acquire the right to extract gas for only 630 thousand hryvnias, while the actual market price is significantly higher.
“A gas field with reserves worth billions of hryvnias was sold for an amount that is tens of times lower than the starting price. The specialized environmental prosecutor’s office proved in court that the agreement was made with gross violations of the law. The Supreme Court declared the auction results, the special permit, and the purchase and sale agreement invalid.”
Thus, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision, the state regained control over one of the key gas fields, and the illegal agreement for its sale has lost its validity.