International Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine will be Open for Applications

In a week's time, at the International Conference "Restoring Justice for Ukraine" to be held in the Dutch city of The Hague, in the presence of foreign ministers and ministers of justice of the European Union, it is planned to announce the technical launch of the International Register of Damages. The Register of Losses is a system of accounting for claims of individuals, legal entities and the state of Ukraine for compensation for losses, damages, and damage from Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The Register will start accepting applications for compensation for victims of Russia's armed aggression. So far, we are talking about opening one category of applicants. In total, the Register will include 40 categories.

As of today, all the governing bodies of the Register have been established. The Registry Board has adopted a set of rules and regulations of the Registry necessary for the launch. It includes the rules for submitting, processing and entering claims, as well as the categories of claims eligible for entry into the Register of Losses.

The categories of applications will include: loss of life, torture and sexual violence, as well as bodily injury, forced displacement and forced resettlement of persons, loss of property and income, other forms of economic damage, damage to critical infrastructure and other state facilities, damage to historical and cultural heritage, environmental damage, etc. All categories are defined by the Registry Board.

Each category will have a separate claim form approved by the Registry Charter and its own list of evidence. A digital platform has been created to receive applications. The rules for submission are the same for everyone.

The International Register of Losses is the first component of the Global Compensation Mechanism, the development of which was initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in May 2022 together with international partners. The compensation mechanism consists of the Register of Losses, the Compensation Commission and the Fund.

"The technical launch is a long-awaited event, the first step towards ensuring justice and compensation for Ukrainians and the country. This was preceded by the titanic work of a large number of specialists, experts, real heroes - my team, who, despite the lack of electricity, during the blackout, under constant missile attacks by the aggressor, continued to work without stopping for a moment. It was a very difficult path of persuasion, many meetings at all possible high levels of international law and diplomacy. We have enlisted the support of the UN General Assembly, 43 countries have given us the green light, and we have almost passed this stage and are moving on. We are waiting for the International Commission to start its work, which will award compensation, and it will take at least a year to set up. In parallel, we are negotiating with our partners to open a Compensation Fund, which will be filled with seized assets of the Russian Federation. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we keep proving that the unrealistic can become real, it all depends on the desire and efforts made," commented Iryna Mudra, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Head of the International Compensation Mechanism Development Unit.

The concept of the International Compensation Mechanism was developed in close cooperation with international partners and organizations on the basis of international agreements. The first step was taken at the UN General Assembly on November 14, 2022 by voting for the resolution "Promoting the implementation of legal remedies and providing reparations for the aggression against Ukraine", then on May 12, 2023, at a meeting of Council of Europe Deputy Ministers, a Resolution on the establishment of an Extended Partial Agreement on the Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine was adopted. The establishment of the Register was announced at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe held in Reykjavik on May 16-17, 2023.

The documents of the Register and more information are available on the website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine here.