Mandate and Functions
What does the Register do?
The Register is designed to function as a record of all eligible claims seeking compensation for the damage, loss and injury inflicted by the aggression of the Russian Federation in and against Ukraine.
The Register will rely on digital data and will operate a secure digital platform to receive, process and categorise claims and evidence. The process of submission of claims – exclusively digital – will be as simple and streamlined as possible.
For the claims to be recorded in the Register, they need to meet three straightforward eligibility criteria contained in the Register’s Statute. The claims must be in relation to the damage, loss or injury that
- occurred on or after 24 February 2022
- occurred in the territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders, including territorial waters
- was caused by the internationally wrongful acts of the Russian Federation in or against Ukraine.
The Register is tasked with receiving and processing the claims and related evidence, and processing them. It includes categorising, classifying, and organising these claims based on various criteria. The Register, through the works of its Board, will assess the claims and determine their eligibility. Eligible claims will be recorded in the Register for future examination and evaluation.
The procedures for submission, processing and recording of claims will be governed by various rules and regulations that are currently in the process of developing. This includes a list of claim categories, claims forms, evidentiary rules tailored for each claims category, and other essential information.
To submit claims, claimants should use the Diia web portal, designed for provision of state services in Ukraine. This approach ensures a streamlined and accessible avenue for the submission of claims to the Register.
What does the Register not do?
It is important to understand that the Register will not examine or evaluate claims it receives on their merit, assess their value, or order any payments.
These will be the functions of a future international compensation mechanism that will be established by a separate international instrument. The Register is just the first step towards such a mechanism.
The work on the establishment of the compensation mechanism is ongoing. The Register's mandate includes facilitation of the ongoing efforts to establish this compensation mechanism and active participation in them.
As the development of the compensation mechanism progresses, the Register will continue to contribute to this broader initiative to ensure comprehensive accountability by collecting information about what has happened in Ukraine. Once the compensation mechanism is established, the work of the Register will continue as part of a new structure, and all the claims and evidence data will be transferred to it.