New Categories Added to Document War Losses
Ukraine's government has expanded the list of categories used to record damages and losses from Russian aggression through the International Register of Damages. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that 14 new categories will be added to those already covered. Applications for these new categories will be accepted once they become available in the Diia app. Currently, 21 categories are open for claims via Diia.
Established by Ukraine, the European Union, and 43 other nations, the International Register of Damages is headquartered in The Hague. It documents harm caused by the aggression that began after February 24, 2022. To date, 38 countries and the European Union have signed the convention governing this process.
Detailed Categories for Documenting Harm
Under the updated framework, specific categories have been defined for different affected groups. For individual citizens, the following categories apply:
- Loss of access to medical care;
- Loss of access to education;
- Other violations of international humanitarian law, human rights, and the laws and customs of war;
- Additional economic losses.
For business owners, new loss categories include:
- Damage to cultural objects;
- Costs related to asset evacuation;
- Other economic and humanitarian damages.
Additionally, categories for the state encompass:
- Destruction of cultural heritage sites;
- Environmental damage;
- Theft of natural resources;
- Humanitarian expenses for supporting affected populations;
- Costs of demining and territory clearance.
A compensation commission is scheduled to be established in December 2025, marking a significant step toward providing reparations for all victims of the aggression.
This expansion of damage documentation categories represents a crucial move to uphold the rights of those affected by the war and to restore their losses. It enables a more comprehensive accounting of the diverse harms inflicted by the aggression and ensures more effective support for individuals, businesses, and the state. The planned creation of a compensation commission in 2025 could be a pivotal milestone in the reparations process, underscoring the serious commitments of Ukraine and the international community to war victims.