Ukrainians have been granted access to the Hague Register of Damages: how to file a claim for destroyed property

In April 2024, the process of receiving applications for damages caused to Ukrainians as a result of Russia’s aggression was officially launched in The Hague. Now all Ukrainians whose housing was damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities can submit an application to the international Register of Damages (RD4U), which will become the basis for future reparations. This platform has already received more than 10,000 applications, which indicates a significant interest and need to document losses.

The International Register of Damages was created by the joint efforts of Ukraine, the European Union and 42 other countries, and its technical launch took place during the “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” conference. This initiative is aimed at gathering evidence and claims about losses, damages and losses caused by Russian aggression, starting on February 24, 2022.

The loss register covers 40 different categories of claims, the most significant of which are: loss of housing, torture, personal injury, loss of property and income, damage to infrastructure, damage to cultural heritage and the environment. Each claim will be processed and the evidence base gathered within this program will form the basis for future compensation decisions.

Since the launch of the system, the largest number of applications relate to the category “Damage or destruction of residential immovable property”. At the moment, more than 10,000 such applications have been registered from residents of 621 settlements located in 19 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. Most of these claims relate to damaged or destroyed apartments, and much of the damage was caused by fighting, artillery fire and airstrikes. It is interesting that the average amount of damages recorded in the applications is about 54 thousand euros.

Both natural persons and the state of Ukraine can submit an application to the Register. Homeowners can submit a claim for each damaged or destroyed object, even if the property has several co-owners – in which case each of them must submit their claim separately. Documents can be submitted in Ukrainian or English, and the procedure is free.

Initially, applicants were required to participate in the state program “eRecovery” and have a certificate of inspection of damaged property, but these requirements were abolished to simplify the submission of applications. Currently, you can submit an application to the International Register of Losses through web portal or the “Action” mobile application, which makes the process accessible to a larger number of people, including those whose ownership of real estate has not been registered or whose property is located in the occupied territories.