The Register of Damage for Ukraine has officially opened the possibility of submitting of claims in a new categories the submission of claims in two new important categories aimed at protecting and preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage:
B2 – Damage, destruction or loss of objects or buildings of cultural value
C2 – Damage, destruction or loss of objects or buildings of cultural value
These are categories, in which claims can be submitted by the State of Ukraine, regional and local authorities (local self-government bodies), State and municipal institutions (category B2) and legal persons of all forms of ownership (category C2).
Since its very beginning, the aggression of the Russian Federation has been delivering systematic and targeted strikes against the cultural heritage of Ukraine: architectural monuments, museums, theatres and religious buildings are being destroyed, and unique museum exhibits and archaeological artifacts are being looted and removed, particularly in the temporarily occupied territories. The opening of categories B2 and C2 creates a systematic mechanism for the complete recording and future compensation of damage for the loss of unique objects of Ukrainian culture, which are an integral part of the world’s cultural heritage.
Claims in categories B2 and C2 can be submitted by owners or legal administrators of damaged, destroyed or lost cultural objects or buildings in the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders (extending to its territorial waters), if the damage was sustained on or after 24 February 2022 as a result of the Russian Federation’s internationally wrongful acts in or against Ukraine.
The categories apply to all movable and immovable tangible objects having artistic, historic, religious, ethnographic, or scientific importance. These include, in particular: architectural works, urban planning, and works of monumental art; specialised buildings, archives, libraries, and museum depositories; movable cultural values (museum items, collections, early printed books, paintings, sculptures, religious objects); objects and monuments inscribed (or which were inscribed) on the UNESCO World Heritage List or the World Heritage List in Danger; objects included in the Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk (ICOM).
Claims can be submitted for compensation of: the full value of destroyed, irretrievably lost, or unlawfully removed objects and buildings; the cost of repairs, restoration, conservation, or full reconstruction of damaged cultural heritage sites; expenses incurred in connection with the evacuation, protection, search, return, and restitution of lost cultural values (or as part of attempts to achieve such return).
Important: Should a lost or stolen object of cultural value be returned to the owner after the submission of the claim, the claimant is required to submit the relevant information to RD4U by updating the previously submitted claim.
How to Submit Claims
Claims to the Register can be submitted via the Diia web portal. Diia is a mobile application and web portal created by the Government of Ukraine that provides easy, convenient, and secure online access to digital documents and public services for people and businesses in Ukraine.
B2 and C2 Damage, destruction or loss of objects or buildings of cultural value
To learn more and submit a claim, visit the Register’s website.
