In 2026, Ukrainian businesses gained full access to the international mechanism for recording war damages. On 29 April 2026, the Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (RD4U) opened the first claim categories for legal entities; the final three categories opened on 10 September 2026. Companies can now record not only physical destruction of assets but also loss of control over property in temporarily occupied territories, relocation costs, other economic losses, and humanitarian expenses for employees.
Litigant supports Ukrainian companies through the full cycle: evidence gathering in Ukraine, damage valuation under Methodology No. 3904/1223, national claim against Russia in commercial courts (no court fee), digital authorization via Diia, submission to the Hague Register, and monitoring through the Board's decision. Our conclusions are grounded in practice: a portfolio of six claims under representation (solar power plants plus a maritime asset), the majority confirmed by commercial court decisions.
RD4U Case Service Spectrum
Legal audit and claim category selection
Classification under the Register's group C categories (C1.1 critical infrastructure, C1.5 non-residential real estate, C3.1-C3.4 assets/relocation/other losses, C4 humanitarian expenses for workers). Avoidance of the subsidiary C3.4 category and double-counting.
National evidentiary layer
Extracts from the State Register of Property Rights, SES (DSNS) acts, URPTI (ERDR) extracts under Art. 438 of the Criminal Code, legal-entity victim status (Art. 55 CPC), geo-tagged photo and video, OSINT analysis. Evidence base that withstands RD4U Secretariat review.
Claim against Russia in Ukrainian commercial court
Preparation of a claim for compensation of damage caused by Russian aggression. Court fee waived for the claimant (Art. 5 para. 22 of the Court Fees Act). The judgment is a weighty supplementary proof of claim size for the international Commission.
Damage valuation under Methodology No. 3904/1223
Coordination with a valuation professional or forensic expert. Claim structure: real losses (including recovery costs, Art. 22 Civil Code) plus lost profit. Cost, comparative, and income approaches — a transparent and reproducible calculation.
Digital authorization and submission via Diia
Processing of digital authorization in the Diia service (the only path for legal entities under group C categories), claim preparation, support for Secretariat requests for corrections or additional evidence. Monitoring through the Register Board's decision.
When Businesses Engage Litigant for RD4U
Typical cases. In each, national-process coordination with the international track is essential — the correction window is limited to the Secretariat review stage.
- 01Industrial enterprise in a frontline zone sustained damage to equipment, workshops, or warehouses
- 02Energy asset (solar/wind power plant, substation, CHP) was damaged by strikes
- 03Asset lost due to territorial occupation — loss of control, lost profit, total business loss
- 04Business relocation from frontline or occupied territories — logistics, restart, worker housing
- 05Foreign investor operating in Ukraine through a Ukrainian legal entity; non-resident director without a Ukrainian qualified electronic signature
Why the national court path matters before Hague
The Ukrainian commercial court path serves a function the Register itself cannot: it generates a judicially-tested valuation of damages, with cross-examination of experts, submission of forensic reports, and reasoned findings on causation and quantum. By the time the RD4U Secretariat reviews our claim, the valuation has already withstood adversarial scrutiny. This is the opposite of a cold submission with a self-prepared estimate — and the Secretariat's pattern of requesting clarifications and additional evidence favors claims arriving with judicial findings.
FAQ about RD4U
Answers to the key questions executives ask before engaging on an RD4U case.
Does RD4U pay out compensation?
No. The Register only records and classifies claims. Payouts will be made by the future International Claims Commission (the Convention was ratified by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on 30.04.2026 and requires 25 state ratifications to enter into force) and the Compensation Fund, whose funding sources have not yet been determined. The timing of payouts depends on Convention entry into force. However, the quality of a claim filed today — the evidence base, correct category, well-grounded valuation — will determine the result years from now.
Who may submit a claim in group C categories for legal entities?
A legal entity formed under the law of Ukraine or any other state (except the Russian Federation), regardless of corporate form and ownership — including state and municipal enterprises. This opens the mechanism to foreign investors operating in Ukraine via Ukrainian subsidiaries. The claim is filed by the primary representative (director, chairman of the board) or by a representative authorized through Diia (lawyer or non-lawyer). For group C categories, this is the only path.
Which claim categories are currently open for legal entities?
As of October 2026, the full set of group C categories is open: C1.1 (critical infrastructure), C1.2 (non-critical infrastructure), C1.3-C1.5 (real estate including non-residential), C3.1 (damage/loss of assets, lost profit, total business loss), C3.2 (loss of control over property in temporarily occupied territories), C3.3 (business relocation), C3.4 (other economic losses — subsidiary category), C4 (humanitarian expenses for workers). Property of individual entrepreneurs falls under group A categories (A3.5), not C.
Must I obtain a Ukrainian court judgment before filing with the Register?
No, it is not mandatory. However, a national claim against Russia in a commercial court is a relatively inexpensive (free of court fees for the claimant) way to obtain a judicial assessment of damage amount before filing with the Register. The Supreme Court, since judgment of 14.04.2022 in case No. 308/9708/19, does not apply Russia's sovereign immunity in aggression cases. The Ukrainian judgment has no res judicata effect for the international Commission but is weighty supplementary proof. In our practice, most claims first pass through a national court before being submitted to RD4U.
How much does RD4U case support cost and how is pricing structured?
Rate — EUR 120/hour. Scenario A (court judgment and expert opinion already in place): 26-43 hours ≈ EUR 3,100-5,200 per C3.1 claim (materials analysis, expert-opinion audit, cross-matching claim→opinion→judgment→filing, circumstances write-up, methodology, digital authorization, submission, Secretariat clarification support). Scenario B (evidence base to be built from scratch): additional 10-20h on ERDR + victim status + SES acts + 4-6h on expert technical specification — total 40-70h ≈ EUR 4,800-8,400. Models: hourly (pilot), fixed per claim (subsequent — 30-40% hours reduction via unified template), hybrid (fixed component + success fee on amounts actually received from the Commission). Valuation/expertise (construction-technical + economic DCF for solar plants) — separate expense per independent firm's quote. Initial case pre-analysis and preliminary estimate — free, via the form at /kontakty.
Record the Claim Today — Compensation Years From Now
The quality of a claim filed today — evidence base, correct category, well-grounded valuation — will determine the result when the Compensation Fund begins payouts. Describe your case — I will return a pre-analysis with recommended category and preliminary estimate within 48 business hours.
Submit case for RD4U pre-analysis