Ukraine ratified the Convention on the Establishment of a Compensation Commission: how will the mechanism for compensation for damages work?

The Verkhovna Rada supported the ratification of the Convention on the Establishment of an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine. The relevant bill No. 0371 was initiated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

What the Convention provides for

The document provides for the establishment of a special international body – a compensation commission, which will:

consider the applications of Ukraine, citizens and businesses
establish the fact of the damage caused
make decisions on compensation

As explained by the head of the relevant parliamentary committee Olena Shulyak, this is about launching a full-fledged international mechanism for compensation for damage caused by Russian aggression.

How the compensation system will work

In fact, a two-stage system is being formed:

The register of damages – already records losses
The compensation commission – will consider applications and determine the amount of payments

This means a transition from documenting damage to its legal confirmation and subsequent compensation.

Who can apply

Applications are now available for:

citizens
business
territorial communities
of the state

Thus, the mechanism covers all levels of losses — from damaged housing to destroyed infrastructure and state assets.

What does this mean in practice

According to Olena Shulyak, the key importance of the new system is that:

each recorded loss must receive a legal decision, and not remain just a fact

This is the next stage — the transition from recording losses to their actual compensation.

Ratification of the Convention is an important step in the formation of an international mechanism for liability for damage caused to Ukraine. It creates a legal basis for considering the claims of victims and paves the way for systematic receipt of compensation.