Registry of losses to open category death of close relative

In an interview with Ukrinform in The Hague, Head of the Registry of Losses caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Markian Kliuchkovskyi, shared the news.

“I am hesitant to give exact dates as we’ve postponed this deadline several times. However, we will soon open the second category. This relates to claims regarding the death of a close family member. People whose close relatives died as a result of the war will have the opportunity to submit such claims right away. Next in line are categories for internally displaced persons and what we typically refer to as war crimes. We have many other categories to implement — forty-five in total. We aim to implement them all quickly,” Kliuchkovskyi said.

He also explained which categories of citizens can submit claims regarding the loss of a loved one.

“In defining the parameters for submitting claims, requirements, limitations, and so on, we always adhere to international law and the practice of such international instruments. We do not make rules up from scratch. Regarding this specific category, international law has taken the approach of automatically recognizing the right to submit such a claim for three groups of people: parents, spouses, or children of the deceased. These are our primary potential claimants. For the rest, we will consider the nuances. Under certain conditions, it could involve non-biological parents or adopted children. Of course, it’s not only about spouses but also civil partners. We follow broader definitions than Ukrainian law. There could also be other categories of relatives, but in such cases, the claimant would need to prove the special closeness of the relationship, for example, whether it was a special relationship or a dependency relationship where one person supported the other, or under special conditions. Here, we enter the realm of nuances and actual circumstances. But the main categories are parents, spouses, and children,” Kliuchkovskyi explained.

He said that a total of 45 categories have been approved, which the Registry will roll out gradually. They are divided into three groups: claims from individuals, companies, and the state.

“We opened in April 2024, and we want to launch all 45 categories by mid-2025. This is an ambitious plan because the process of developing these categories takes time, and it’s a very complex and delicate task. From our experience, sometimes it takes longer than we would like. But we really want to launch all the categories as quickly as possible. We understand that people in Ukraine are waiting for this, so we are working actively,” he added.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, from November 13 to 15, a third preparatory meeting took place in The Hague regarding the creation of an international Commission for considering claims for Ukraine, where the Ukrainian delegation presented its position.