The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Convention on the Establishment of an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine, signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga on behalf of Ukraine on December 16, 2025 in The Hague: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4868-20#Text
"Ratification of the Convention is a clear message to the aggressor and our partners: the inevitability of responsibility is transformed from a principle into an operating mechanism. Every destroyed house, every destroyed school or hospital, every lost life will result in justice and compensation. I am sincerely grateful to the President of Ukraine for his leadership on the track of responsibility for Russian crimes, to the people's deputies of Ukraine for their principled and consolidated support. This is our joint work for the sake of justice for the Ukrainian people," emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga.
In addition to Ukraine, the Convention has already been ratified by Estonia, Latvia and Iceland. Ukraine highly appreciates the leadership of these states and calls on other signatories to the Convention to complete the relevant domestic procedures as soon as possible - each subsequent act of ratification brings closer the moment of the Convention's entry into force and the start of the Commission's work in the interests of all victims of Russian aggression.
The Convention was opened for signature on December 16, 2025, during the High-Level Diplomatic Conference in The Hague. At that time, it was signed by 35 states and the European Union - a record number of signatories, demonstrating unprecedented international solidarity with Ukraine.
The Convention is the second component of the international compensation mechanism, along with the Register of Damage Caused by the Russian Federation's Aggression against Ukraine and the future compensation fund.
The Compensation Commission is being established as an independent international body within the institutional system of the Council of Europe. It will consider claims for compensation for damages, losses and harm caused by internationally wrongful actions of the Russian Federation in or against Ukraine, and will determine the amount of compensation in each specific case.
With the launch of the Commission, the transition from the Register to the Commission will be organized while maintaining the continuity of the process: the Commission will become the legal successor to the Register, along with its digital platform and data.
The register of damages is already operational and accepting applications through the web portal Diia. As of today, 21 categories of applications have been opened out of 43 planned, including for the death or disappearance of loved ones, bodily injury, torture, forced displacement, damage or destruction of housing. In addition, categories for legal entities and the state of Ukraine for damage, destruction or loss of critical and non-critical infrastructure and assets have recently been opened. The applications cover damage caused starting from February 24, 2022 within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.