Death or disappearance of a family member

What these claims cover

A2.1 covers your own mental pain and anguish caused by an immediate family member’s death; A2.2 covers that caused by their disappearance. Each affected family member has their own claim; it is not a claim on behalf of the deceased or for all the family’s harm together. Lost income or support belongs in other relevant categories. No personal or expert monetary assessment of mental pain and anguish is required for A2.1/A2.2. ^{[1] [2]}

The death or disappearance must have occurred on or after 24 February 2022 as a result of Russia’s internationally wrongful acts in or against Ukraine. The rules cover Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, including occupied areas and territorial waters. A death or disappearance abroad can also qualify if directly linked to an event in Ukraine. Military service by the deceased or missing person does not itself exclude a relative’s claim. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Who can claim

Immediate family members for these categories include parents — biological, legally recognised adoptive parents and stepparents, meaning a parent’s spouse; a spouse or civil partner; and children — biological, legally recognised adopted children and stepchildren, meaning a spouse’s or civil partner’s child. Prepare evidence of the relevant family relationship. ^{[1] [2]}

Civil partnership may be recognised regardless of the partners’ gender. Provide evidence of a long-term close relationship at the time of death or disappearance and features of family life: a shared home and household, significant shared expenditure, mutual assistance or other family ties. Evidence can include cohabitation records, bills, expenses, correspondence to a shared address, photographs, insurance or other records. A court decision is one possible form of evidence, rather than the only mandatory way to prove an RD4U partnership. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Another family member, such as a sibling or grandparent, may claim if they demonstrate a legitimate interest. This requires evidence of the family relationship, particularly close ties and elements of dependence going beyond ordinary affection. An assertion of closeness or the degree of kinship alone is insufficient. Each eligible claimant submits their own claim; where several family members died or disappeared, submit a separate claim for each. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

A2.1: death certificate and civil registration

For the current Diia submission route, the death must be entered in the State Civil Status Register and you must have a death certificate issued by a civil registration office. If Diia retrieves incorrect details, ask the civil registration office to check and correct the death record, then submit after it is updated. Not having the deceased’s passport does not itself prevent a claim: provide known identifying details and an identity document if available. ^{[5] [3]}

If the death occurred in temporarily occupied territory and no Ukrainian death certificate is available, apply to a Ukrainian court to establish the fact of death through Electronic Court or a court of general jurisdiction. Family members, their representatives or other interested persons may apply. State the circumstances and why the proper document cannot be obtained or restored, and attach available evidence of death and the family relationship. Medical records, an occupied-territory document, photographs or witness statements are possible evidence, not a requirement to obtain every item. No court fee is payable for this application. ^[5]

The court issues a copy of its decision to participants immediately and sends it to the relevant civil registration office. After the decision, contact a convenient civil registration office to make the record and obtain the certificate, then return to A2.1 in Diia. The free legal aid system can advise on preparing the court application or restoring documents. ^{[5] [6]}

A2.2: the missing-person extract

For A2.2, a missing person is someone reported missing whose whereabouts are unknown. A court declaration of absence is not a prerequisite for this category. The current Diia service does, however, require the number of the extract from the Unified Register of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances and its verification code. Obtain an extract if you do not have one; request a new one if an older extract has no code. The code is beside the QR code. ^{[2] [4] [7]}

If there is no register entry, report the disappearance to the territorial National Police unit. If an entry exists, request the extract from the authorised Ministry of Internal Affairs unit using the route in Diia’s official instructions: provide the missing person’s details, your contact details, your identity document and evidence of the family relationship. For a service member, include any available military-unit notice or other information. Not having the missing person’s passport or document number does not itself prevent A2.2: supply what you know. ^{[7] [4]}

Children, representatives and the current service

A child can have their own claim for suffering under the A2.1/A2.2 rules, which provide for legal representation. As of 16 September 2026, however, Diia’s pages for these two categories allow personal submission from age 18, or from 16 with full civil capacity, and describe submission for children as a future feature. This is a specific service limitation, not absence of the child’s rights. Preserve the evidence and representation documents, and seek legal advice where documents or authority need to be restored or established. ^{[1] [2] [8] [5] [7] [6]}

What to do now and after submission

For A2.1, open the official death-of-a-family-member service; for A2.2, open the missing-family-member service. Sign in to Diia, check the retrieved records, provide the family relationship and known circumstances, attach evidence and sign. Keep a copy and status notifications. RD4U checks whether the claim can be recorded; this does not award money or promise a payment date. ^{[5] [7] [1] [2]}

If the missing person is later found alive or their death is established, update RD4U about the changed circumstances of an existing claim. A2.2 can concern suffering during the period when their fate was unknown; if they died, a separate A2.1 claim may also be relevant. Do not leave knowingly outdated information in the claim or submit another A2.2 merely to duplicate it. ^{[2] [4]}