War compensation: why thousands of Ukrainians risk losing their right to payments and how to avoid it
8 January 19:36
The Verkhovna Rada explained how to correctly submit applications to the International Register of Damages (RD4U) in order not to lose the right to future compensation for damage caused by Russian aggression.
This was announced by the head of the relevant parliamentary committee, Olena Shulyak, according to Ukrinform, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Shulyak noted that Ukrainians have already submitted almost 90,000 applications in 14 categories, but a significant number of citizens made typical mistakes, as a result of which the damage was not properly recorded.
What is known
RD4U is the first and mandatory stage of the international compensation mechanism. It is on the basis of this register that the Compensation Commission will work in the future to determine the amount of payments.
Errors or failure to submit an application now may mean that a person will not be able to claim compensation in the future, even if their property has been destroyed or they have lost their home.
The most common mistakes
According to Shulyak, citizens most often:
- confuse the categories of applications, in particular A3.1 (damaged or destroyed housing) and A3.3 (loss of housing or place of residence);
- submit one application for the entire family, although each family member must submit their own;
- do not indicate the approximate amount of damage and do not explain the logic of the calculation;
- do not attach proof of residence, especially if they were not officially registered at the address;
- do not submit an application at all, believing that it is impossible without a “perfect” set of documents.
A separate problem is property in temporarily occupied territories. People often do not apply because they cannot confirm the destruction of their homes, although there is a special category A3.6 for this — loss of access or control.
Explanation from the authorities
Parliament emphasizes that
- unconfirmed ownership is not an absolute obstacle — it is important to at least record an attempt to register it;
- renovated housing does not deprive you of the right to apply, but you need to provide evidence of the repairs;
- even without a full set of documents, an application can and should be submitted, providing as much information as possible.
It is separately emphasized that RD4U does not mean automatic payment of compensation. The register only records losses, and the decision on compensation will be made by a separate international commission.
Technical difficulties
Another reason for errors is the digital format of submission.
Applications can only be submitted through the Diya portal, in your personal account. The Diya app only provides a list of categories, but does not allow you to submit an application.
At the end of 2025, legal entities — businesses and government agencies — were also admitted to RD4U. At the same time, the international compensation mechanism is only being formed:
- in December 2025, the Convention on the Establishment of a Compensation Commission was signed in The Hague;
- according to estimates by the Office of the President, the commission’s practical work may start in 2026, and the first decisions are expected in late 2026 — early 2027.
In the meantime, the authorities are urging Ukrainians not to delay in submitting their applications: even incomplete information today may be decisive in obtaining compensation tomorrow.
