On March 26, 2026, as part of the regional platform “Dialogue Between Government and Business,” established at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an online meeting was held on the topic of the functioning of the International Register of Damages for Ukraine.
Over 200 representatives of businesses, local communities, and government agencies in the Donetsk region participated in the event. The keynote speakers were Anna Khristova, Head of the Kyiv Office of the Register; Ihor Karaman, Legal Advisor to the Register; and Oksana Golovko, Director of the Department of Investment, Innovation, and External Relations of the Regional State Administration.
Hanna Khrystova emphasized that the International Register of Damages is an institution established under the auspices of the Council of Europe, serving as the first stage of an international compensation mechanism. Its primary task is to collect and record claims regarding damages caused by Russian aggression, for the subsequent determination of compensation amounts by the International Compensation Commission. To date, the Registry has already received over 130,000 claims from individuals, and in the near future, it plans to fully open categories for businesses, communities, and the state (Categories B and C, respectively).
Legal advisor Ihor Karaman elaborated on the three key criteria for the admissibility of claims: the damages must have been incurred on or after February 24, 2022, within the territory of Ukraine (including the temporarily occupied territories), and must be the result of internationally unlawful actions by the Russian Federation. For businesses and communities, the relevant categories concern damage to critical infrastructure, residential and non-residential real estate, and the loss of assets and control over property in the temporarily occupied territories.
The international institution takes a flexible approach to the evidence base. In addition to official expert reports, claimants may submit photos and videos, satellite imagery, extracts from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, or written eyewitness testimonies. In addition to compensation for physical damage to property, businesses have the right to file claims for compensation for economic losses, relocation costs, and lost income.
Oksana Golovko urged businesses to maintain documentation as transparently as possible and to document all instances of damage immediately.
Applications to the Registry are submitted via the "Diya" web portal. Currently, a number of categories for legal entities are in the beta testing phase, allowing participants to submit applications even before the categories are officially opened to the general public. In the future, a “digital power of attorney” feature will be introduced for representatives of legal entities.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure that the legal mechanism leads to fair compensation. Submitting an application to the Registry is not only a path to payments but also a way to document the aggressor’s crimes for posterity,” concluded representatives of the Registry.