First in ACTION: Ukrainians will be able to submit applications to the international register of losses

An agreement was signed on the exchange of electronic data, which will allow Ukrainians to file a claim for compensation for damages caused by Russian aggression. The agreement provides for the launch of a new service, which is an unprecedented case of international data exchange. The service will be available on the portal and in the Diia app.

"Diia has become one of the main digital tools for reconstruction. First, we launched the Reporting of Damaged Property service, then, together with the Ministry of Reconstruction, the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property, and later the eRecovery service. Submitting claims through Diia to the international Register of Damage is an important step in recording losses and confirming all losses caused by Russia. Diiabecomes an important part of transferring and reflecting the scale of losses in order to launch a compensation mechanism in the future," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

The first stage will begin in April this year - Ukrainians will be able to file claims for damaged or destroyed residential real estate upon receipt of an inspection report from the local authorities. Over time, it is planned to make it possible to submit applications to the Register of Damages even if a person has not contacted the local authorities.

In addition, the list of categories of losses due to the Russian aggression will be expanded later. The Register will be able to be submitted through the Action on:

• damage to life and health;
• Forced displacement and internally displaced persons;
• crimes of torture and sexual violence;
• other injuries and damages.

In the future, legal entities and the state will be able to file claims for damage to business and infrastructure.

"For Ukraine, the Register of Damages is an important first step towards reparations 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 applications from victims and will start its work soon. We are very pleased to cooperate with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Diia and the Ministry of Justice. 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 applications to the Registry. In addition, byintegrating 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," emphasized Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi, Executive Director of the Register of Damages Caused by the Russian Aggression against Ukraine.

Last year, the foundations for a compensation mechanism were laid - the Council of Europe established the international Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. The work of the Register of Damages will be to collect applications and evidence for compensation for losses, damages or injuries caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which will be used in the future to record the extent and consequences of the Russian invasion. Subsequently, this information will allow to launch the process of paying reparations to the victims through the compensation mechanism, which is already underway. Currently, 43 countries and the EU (including all G7 states) have joined or expressed their intention to join the Enhanced Partial Agreement on the Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and have become participants in the Register of Damages.

Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization Sergiy Orlov noted: "The planned launch of the process of submitting applications to the International Register of Losses was preceded by painstaking and lengthy work. The losses and damage caused by the unprovoked Russian aggression are enormous - among the victims are primarily individuals, Ukrainian and foreign enterprises, and, in fact, our state. We are grateful to our colleagues and international partners for their assistance in finding and creating effective mechanisms for compensation from the aggressor country."

Learn more about the International Register of Damages on the website.

Learn more about Diia on the website.

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 project "Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services/TAPAS".