Executive Director of the Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi and Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology,  Mykhailo Fedorov, signed in Kyiv an agreement on the exchange of electronic data, which will allow Ukrainians to file a claim for compensation of damage caused by Russian aggression in a few clicks using Diia – Ukrainian government services app and portal. This will be a completely new service in Diia and the first case of international data exchange for which Diia will be used. 

"The Register of Damages for Ukraine is an important first step towards reparation for the damage caused by Russia's aggression to Ukraine and all those affected by this aggression. The Register is preparing to accept millions of claims from victims and will commence its work soon. We are very pleased to be cooperating with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Diia. With Diia being a convenient and reliable application for 20 million Ukrainians, we are able to create a simple, accessible and secure way to submit claims to the Register. In addition, due to the integration of Diia into the extensive infrastructure of digital services and public registries in Ukraine, it will facilitate the process of collecting evidence to be attached to the application." stated Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi.

Last May, the Council of Europe established the international Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which is headquartered in The Hague. The purpose of the Register is to collect claims and evidence of damage and losses caused by Russia's war against Ukraine, in particular, destruction. The information from the Register of Damage will allow us to record the extent and consequences of the Russian invasion, and subsequently launch a mechanism for compensation to all victims. Work on such a mechanism is already underway.

"Diia has become one of the main digital tools for reconstruction. First, we launched the service of Reporting Damaged Property, then, together with the Ministry of Reconstruction, the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property, and later the e-Recovery service. Submitting claims through Diia to the international Register of Damage is an important step for recording damage and confirming all losses caused by Russia. Diia is becoming an important part of conveying and reflecting the scale of the damage so that a compensation mechanism can be launched in the future.”, underlined Mykhailo Fedorov.

The service for submission of claims will be available through the web portal and the Diia mobile app. At the first stage, it will be possible to submit information about damaged and destroyed residential immovable property, including private houses, apartments, country houses, etc. In the future, we plan to expand the list of application categories so that victims can submit claims for other types of war damage. In particular, it will be possible to submit applications regarding the death of a close relative, injuries, torture or sexual violence, involuntary displacement, etc. In addition, legal entities and the state will be able to submit claims for compensation, first and foremost, for the destruction of critical infrastructure, business losses, etc. In addition to Diia, in the future, there will be alternative opportunities to submit claims to the international Register of Damage.

"The planned launch of the process of submitting claims to the international Register of Damage was preceded by thorough and lengthy work. The losses and damages caused by the unprovoked Russian aggression are enormous - among the victims are primarily individuals, Ukrainian and foreign enterprises, and, indeed, our state. We are grateful to our colleagues and international partners for their assistance in finding and creating effective reparations mechanisms from the aggressor country.", stated Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization, Serhii Orlov.

The Register of Damage for Ukraine is preparing for commencement of its operations in early April. The list of categories of claims that can be submitted to the Register has been adopted by the Board and will be published after its approval by the Conference of Participants. The Register expects between 300,000 and 600,000 claims related to damage and destruction of immovable property – the first category to be launched. Between 6 and 8 million claims overall are expected to be submitted to the Register.

On 22 March 2024, the Register of Damage opened its Kyiv Office. Its mandate is to liaise with Ukrainian government on various legal and technical issues related to the submission of claims to the Register, as well as outreach in Ukraine, including local and regional authorities, businesses and general public. The Kyiv Office will also play an important role in coordinating evidence gathering and information sharing with other international organizations, Ukrainian authorities and civil society organisations working on these issues.

More information 

• Register of Damage for Ukraine at www.RD4U.claims
• Diia platform at www.diia.gov.ua

The service in Diia and the requirements for the development of the international register were implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Justice with the support of the USAID/UK aid Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services (TAPAS) project.