A major legal milestone has been reached in the context of the Russia–Ukraine conflict with the adoption in The Hague of an international convention aimed at establishing a compensation commission for the benefit of Ukraine. This mechanism seeks to acknowledge and compensate for the damage caused by the Russian invasion launched in February 2022. The initiative forms part of the efforts led by the Council of Europe and several partner states to create a structured framework of accountability grounded in international law.
The adopted convention provides for the creation of an independent International Claims Commission responsible for examining compensation claims submitted by victims of the conflict. These claims may come from individuals, businesses, or public institutions that have suffered human, material, or economic losses as a result of Russian military operations on Ukrainian territory. The objective is to offer a formal and centralized procedure for assessing damage and determining appropriate compensation.
The commission will rely on an already operational Register of Damage, also based in The Hague, which has been collecting detailed declarations supported by evidence for several months. This register constitutes the factual foundation of the future compensation process by ensuring the traceability and credibility of claims. The commission will be tasked with reviewing these files, verifying their admissibility, and determining compensation amounts in accordance with harmonized legal criteria.
However, the effective implementation of this mechanism depends on several conditions. Signatory states must ratify the convention at the national level for it to enter into force, as a minimum number of ratifications is required. In addition, funding remains a central issue, since a compensation fund will need to be established to enable the actual payment of awards recognized by the commission. In the long term, this mechanism could potentially draw on Russian assets frozen abroad, an option that continues to raise legal and political debates.
Beyond its financial dimension, this initiative carries strong symbolic and legal significance. It reflects the determination of part of the international community to ensure recognition of Russia’s responsibility for the destruction and suffering caused by the war and to avoid leaving violations of international law unanswered. For Ukraine, the commission represents both a prospect of tangible redress and a formal acknowledgment of the harm endured by its population and economy.
By choosing The Hague, a city emblematic of international justice, the project’s proponents also signal their intention to anchor this process within a durable and robust institutional framework. This commission could thus become an important precedent in the field of reparations for damage caused by a war of aggression, reinforcing the principle that serious violations of international law must entail legal and financial consequences for their perpetrators.
