By Halyna Hergert | 2026-04-09

At 2 a.m. on February 24, 2022, Mykola Syrokvash boarded a plane at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport headed for a birthday trip to Egypt. Two hours after he landed, Russian missiles struck the airport he had just left.

He and his friends stood in a foreign country in the middle of winter, wearing shorts and T-shirts with suitcases full of summer clothes. A travel agency offered them two evacuation options: Poland or Germany. Since one friend had relatives in Germany, the choice was easy. Syrokvash never returned to Ukraine.

The war cost him his home and his career as a television host on a major Ukrainian channel.

"I don't even know what kind of compensation could cover this. My old life is gone and will never return. Russia just took everything and destroyed it in a single day," Syrokvash told Kontur.

His story -- a life split into "before" and "after" -- is one of nearly 4.5 million. As of March 4, 2026, that many Ukrainians remained under temporary protection in European Union (EU) countries, according to Eurostat.

The details vary: a canceled vacation, a wedding that never happened, an ordinary workday that didn't end with a return home. But the outcome is almost always the same -- forced departure that, for years, had no formal legal dimension. Now it does.

Since late February, the International Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has been accepting claims under a new category: "Forced Displacement Outside of Ukraine."

The act of forced exile, with its loss of home, job, and familiar environment, is now recognized as a distinct, documentable form of war-induced damage.

What the register covers

The register was built to measure, in concrete terms, the full scope of harm Russia has inflicted.

"This register, this database, was created to physically and materially measure the harm Russia has inflicted on the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian businesses, and Ukrainian citizens," Kyiv lawyer Yuri Belous, who specializes in documenting Russian war crimes, told Kontur.

The scope is broad.

"The Register of Damage is a repository for information on a wide range of moral and material harm -- from destroyed or damaged property to wartime sexual violence, homicides, internal displacement, and forced relocation abroad," Belous said. Forced displacement abroad is the latest addition.

As of March 10, the register had opened 16 separate claim categories, according to Ukrinform. The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice announced that people who lost income from private entrepreneurship due to Russian aggression can also file claims. A category for loss of employment is expected to open soon.

How to file

The process runs entirely through Diia, the Ukrainian government app.

"No paper letters -- nothing of the sort. All communication happens strictly within the Diia app," Belous said.

Applicants select the relevant damage category, fill out a form, and attach supporting documents. Forms are straightforward, he added, but all files must be intact and all documentation must be truthful, honest, and authentic -- and submitted in Ukrainian.

Evidence can include certificates from border services or stamps in children's birth certificates, commonly used in the early days of the invasion when passports were unavailable, said Yaroslav Kuts, a lawyer and director of the A2KT law firm.

"Special attention should be paid to material expenses: travel receipts, rent payments, and receipts for medicine or essential goods," he told Kontur.

Medical records and psychological evaluations documenting trauma or deteriorating health tied to displacement also carry significant weight, Kuts said. Witness statements and detailed firsthand accounts strengthen a claim further.

After submission, each claim goes through an initial admissibility review. "If it is deemed admissible, you receive a claim number and then wait for the next steps," Belous said. Claims with errors can be corrected and resubmitted.

When will payments begin?

The most pressing questions for the majority of claimants -- "When will we get the money?" and "Who will pay?" -- remain without clear answers, according to legal experts.

"The Compensation Commission has not yet been established, and since the Register itself was created back in 2023, we understand just how lengthy this process is," Kuts said.

Compensation amounts will likely vary by category. The funding source is still being finalized.

"We are primarily talking about Russian assets, but the final decisions do not rest with Ukraine alone. They also depend on Europe," Belous said.

Lawyers advise filing now. The priority at this stage is documentation -- getting as many claims on record as possible while the broader compensation mechanism takes shape. The register is the only official way to record these damages right now.

"Our 'homework' is to ensure as many people as possible know about the Register, understand what they need to collect, and -- most importantly -- file their claims," Belous said.