Accepting applications, processing and verifying them, entering them into the register and then determining the amount of compensation - this is how the work of the Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation to Ukraine, which was established by the Council of Europe in May 2022, will be organized. The details were provided by the Director of the Register, Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi, in an exclusive commentary to UNN.
According to him, the process of collecting applications and claims from Ukrainian citizens should begin in a few months.
"We must realize that this will not be a particularly fast process. We are trying to move as quickly as possible. But people will have to be a little bit patient.
We have to collect all the claims. This is a legal process, so it has to be based on evidence, which also sets out certain requirements for how that evidence will be collected, presented and verified.
In a couple of months, we will start the process of collecting claims, then they will be processed and a decision will be made whether they will be entered into the register. Then they will be sent to the claims commission for consideration on the merits and determination of the amounts of possible payments.
But it would be irresponsible of me to make any specific predictions about when people will be able to receive compensation.
We receive great support from the Ukrainian authorities, from the 44 member states of the Council of Europe that are members of the Register of Losses," said Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi.
He added that a mechanism is currently being developed that will make the application process accessible to all Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression.
"Before the application process starts, we will publish detailed instructions on how the process will work. In particular, applications can be submitted through a web portal and a mobile application.
The idea is to make it simple for all Ukrainians.
The system will connect to compatible registries and databases in Ukraine. And then a person will be able to add any evidence: files, documents, photos and send it to the registry at the touch of a button on a phone or computer.
We will also have a support system through the Administrative Service Centers," said the director of the Register of Losses.
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Experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise are also working on establishing the amount of damage caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine. According to Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, this applies to both residential and commercial buildings.
"Most forensic examinations to determine the amount of damage caused by Russian aggression are complex. First of all, explosive experts determine the cause of the destruction of the facilities. Within the construction and commodity expertise, they determine the amount of real losses for the company, i.e. the market value of physically destroyed or damaged property, structures, equipment, machinery, etc. or the cost of their restoration," Ruvin said.
In particular, with regard to in Kyiv region, 5,000 damaged buildings in 205 settlements were inspected after the de-occupation.
According to preliminary data, the amount of losses in real estate alone exceeds UAH 100 billion.
"In terms of the amount of damage, for example, if we talk only about real estate and according to a very preliminary estimate, it is more than UAH 15 billion in Bucha and more than UAH 60 billion in Irpin. The overall estimates for the Kyiv region show that losses on real estate exceed UAH 100 billion," Ruvin said.
At the same time, the Director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise notes that the amount of damage caused by Russian aggression significantly exceeds the amount of Russian assets blocked in the West.
"We cannot say the total amount of losses because we do not count the whole of Ukraine. This is a very significant figure, and I think it is not commensurate with the money that is allegedly blocked in the West, which is $300 billion. We think it is much more.
I don't know about selling it off, but I will have to pay back the money. Maybe not in one year, in parts, but we will have to. How long has Germany been paying? People who were in concentration camps are still receiving payments. We hope that Russia will face the same fate," Ruvin says.