Budanov Says Moscow “Will Pay” as Ukraine Calculates Full Cost of Russian War

The Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U) has opened two new categories of claims, allowing the state to bill Russia for humanitarian spending and the cost of demining territory contaminated by the invasion.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, announced the measure on August 14.

The new categories allow Ukrainian authorities and public institutions to document budget expenditures caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

B4 includes spending on evacuations, temporary accommodation, emergency medical care, rehabilitation, and compensation for damaged or destroyed housing, including payments under the eRecovery  program. B5 covers expenses related to demining, explosive ordnance clearance, specialist training, and mine-risk education.

The register serves as an international mechanism for documenting the damage caused by the invasion, allowing Kyiv to assemble a case for eventual compensation. Budanov described the additions as part of a steady effort to compile a full bill for the aggressor state, itemizing every category of expenditure.

“Russia must pay for every crime it has committed and compensate every hryvnia spent on overcoming the consequences of its aggression,” Budanov wrote. “The enemy created these losses—the enemy will pay for them.”

The inclusion of demining costs reflects the scale of that task. Almost 23% of Ukraine's territory remains contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance, and full clearance is expected to take at least ten years.

Roughly 128,000 square kilometers are considered potentially hazardous, and clearing a single hectare of farmland can cost at least $1,400.

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