Ukraine has created a registry of environmental damage caused by Russian aggression

The State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine has unveiled the Registry of Environmental Damage Caused by Russian Aggression. It was created to collect and organize information about the damage to Ukraine’s environment, as well as to preserve the evidence needed for future compensation.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the agency’s specialists have documented over 12,000 cases of environmental damage. As of October 2026, the total amount of environmental damage reached 8.5 trillion hryvnias.

Previously, information on environmental violations was stored primarily on inspectors’ personal storage devices and in paper documents, and the process of recording this information was not properly organized. The launch of the new registry is intended to change this situation and ensure centralized data storage.

A separate electronic record will be created in the system for each documented case. It will include the coordinates of the incident site, a description of the damage caused, photo and video evidence, laboratory test results, and a calculation of the damages.

In addition, the system will automatically track the status of case processing and identify cases where an inspection has not yet been conducted or the necessary reports are missing. Based on the information entered and approved methodologies, it will also calculate an estimated amount of damages in hryvnias.

As Subbotnenko noted, all materials will be stored on secure cloud services, which should minimize the risk of information loss or damage.

The registry was developed by the Ukrainian company “DOK PROF CONSULTING,” which specializes in creating government information registries and electronic document management systems. The project was implemented with the support of the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine and financial assistance from the Swedish government.

Olena Kryvoruchkina, a member of parliament and deputy chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Use, emphasized that the new tool will be one of the key elements of the future mechanism for holding Russia accountable. It will make it possible to consolidate information on environmental crimes and build a solid evidentiary base.

The collected materials are planned to be used in both national and international proceedings to seek compensation for environmental damage.

Currently, the possibility of automatically transferring information from the Ukrainian registry to the International Registry of Damages for Ukraine (RD4U) is also being considered. The registry already includes a separate category of claims, B3.1—“Environmental Damage.”

Hanna Khristova, head of the Kyiv office of the Register of Damages for Ukraine, explained that RD4U is the first stage of an international compensation mechanism for damages, losses, and harm caused by Russian aggression since February 24, 2022.

The next step will be the establishment of an International Compensation Commission, which will review the submitted claims and make decisions regarding payments. Compensation is planned to be provided through a special fund, which is to be financed by the aggressor state.

“Every international wrongful act must entail fair international legal liability in the form of compensation for the damages caused,” Khristova concluded.

This was announced during a press conference by Oleksandr Subotenko, acting head of the State Environmental Inspection.

Compensation for War-Related Business Losses: The RD4U Register of Damages and Assessment of Claims.

The Register of Damages Caused by Russia’s Aggression Against Ukraine Is Now Operational in Ukraine: How to File a Claim.