From today onwards, the Register of Damage Caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is ready to accept applications from affected citizens.

Find out how to submit an application for war-damaged housing and why it is important in an article by Markiian Kliuchkovskyi, Executive Director of the International Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine – How the Register of Damage Caused by Russia's Aggression will work.

Starting Tuesday, 2 April, Ukrainians will be able to submit a claim to the Register for damage caused to their homes by the full-scale war since 24 February 2022, regardless of whereabouts in Ukraine their apartment or house is located – Lviv, Kyiv, Donetsk or Simferopol.

You don't need to go anywhere to submit a claim – just open the Diia app (Ukraine’s e-government app). It will show you the information and evidence already available in state registers and databases. You can add your documents, press a button – and your application is submitted.

The Register will be accessible to everyone, even people who don’t use Diia.

It will soon be possible to submit applications for other categories of losses.

The applications themselves, of course, are not the end of the story. The key step towards justice will be when people start receiving reparations and compensation, and for that to happen, the international compensation instrument must be activated.

But it's important to be honest. Receiving reparations will not be quick. The process will last years rather than weeks or months. We still need to create important components of the instrument that will help convert the claims submitted to the Register into decisions on the appropriate amount of compensation and actual payment.

But even the longest journey begins with the first step. From today, every Ukrainian affected has the opportunity to take that step by submitting an application to the Register. This isn’t just a path to compensation, but also a step towards the restoration of justice.

The more people apply for compensation, the better other countries will understand what the aggressor has done – and the stronger our joint voice calling for justice to be done for every Ukrainian.