This guide contains a practical algorithm for enterprises whose property has been damaged or destroyed as a result of a missile strike, drone attack, artillery shelling, explosion, fire, shockwave, or falling debris.

Proper documentation of the event and damages is essential for:

• receiving insurance payouts;
• applying for state support;
• receiving compensation under the Export Credit Agency (ECA) of Ukraine program;
• securing loan or grant financing for recovery;
• filing future international claims for damages caused by the Russian Federation;
• confirming property loss in accounting, tax, and other records.

1. FIRST ACTIONS AFTER SHELLING

Safety of people comes first

• Stop the facility’s operations and organize the evacuation of employees and visitors.
• Do not allow people near damaged buildings, tanks, electrical equipment, technological installations, or other hazardous areas.
• Call the State Emergency Service (SES) at 101, the police at 102, and if there are casualties, emergency medical services at 103.
• Do not move debris, damaged equipment, or other physical evidence until competent services arrive, unless necessary to save lives, extinguish a fire, or prevent further danger.

For gas stations, tank farms, and other fuel facilities

If possible and without risk to people:

• stop receiving and dispensing fuel;
• de-energize damaged equipment;
• shut off fuel supply;
• isolate damaged tanks, pipelines, and technological systems;
• prevent fuel leaks and the entry of petroleum products into the soil, sewage, or water bodies;
• notify the SES of fuel leaks, explosion threats, fires, or contamination;
• in case of environmental contamination, ensure it is documented separately and notify the competent authorities.

All urgent work that alters the state of the damaged facility must be recorded via photo and video.

2. DOCUMENT THE FACT OF THE ATTACK

Contact the police

File a statement of a criminal offense and obtain:

• confirmation of the statement’s receipt;
• criminal case number;
• an extract from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations;
• if possible, a copy of the crime scene inspection report or other materials that can be provided to the enterprise.

The statement must include:

• date and estimated time of the event;
• exact address of the facility;
• circumstances of the attack;
• preliminary list of damaged or destroyed property;
• presence of fire, explosion, shockwave, debris, or fuel leak;
• information about casualties, if any.

Ensure the company name, address, and specific object are correctly stated in the documents.

Obtain SES documents

If a fire, explosion, destruction, or hazardous substance leak occurred, obtain an act, certificate, or other document from the SES regarding:

• the fact of their response;
• date and place of the event;
• nature of destruction;
• presence of fire or explosion;
• search and rescue operations conducted;
• preliminary cause of the event, if established.

If possible, also obtain documents from local authorities, the military administration, or the commission that inspected the damaged facility.

3. CONDUCT PHOTO AND VIDEO DOCUMENTATION

Capture:

• general view of the area;
• facades, roof, walls, floor slabs, and interior spaces;
• each damaged object separately;
• equipment, tanks, dispensers, pipelines, generators, and utility networks;
• vehicles and special machinery;
• commodity stocks, fuel, raw materials, and finished products;
• debris, craters, traces of fire, explosion, and shockwave;
• damaged documents, servers, cash, and accounting equipment;
• consequences of fuel spills or area contamination.

During recording, it is advisable to capture:

• date and time;
• address or geolocation;
• name of the object;
• inventory and serial numbers of equipment;
• numbers of tanks, vehicles, and other assets.

Save original files. Do not rely solely on photos sent via messengers, as quality and technical information may be lost.

If possible, save recordings from video surveillance cameras, access control systems, cash equipment, telemetry, and fuel level monitoring systems.

4. PREPARE INTERNAL COMPANY DOCUMENTS

The head of the enterprise should issue an order for:

• creating a commission to record the consequences of the shelling;
• conducting an inventory;
• assigning responsible persons;
• ensuring photo and video documentation;
• securing damaged property and documents;
• preparing materials for damage assessment.

The commission draws up an internal act specifying:

• date, place, and circumstances of the event;
• list of damaged, destroyed, or lost property;
• inventory and serial numbers;
• book value;
• preliminary degree of damage;
• possibility of further use or restoration;
• necessity of dismantling or disposal;
• presence of photos, videos, and government documents.

Do not write off or dispose of property until it has been properly documented, technically inspected, and assessed. If emergency dismantling is required for safety, record the state of the property before, during, and after the work.

5. CONDUCT AN INVENTORY OF ALL LOSSES

Do not just document property covered by a specific state program; document all actual losses of the enterprise.

Account separately for:

• Real Estate: buildings, structures, premises, canopies, access roads, other structural elements.
• Production and Technological Equipment: fuel dispensers, pumps, tanks, technological installations, generators, compressors, cash equipment, servers, automation and control systems.
• Utility Networks: electricity, water supply, sewage, ventilation, heating, internal technological communications.
• Other Property and Losses: vehicles and special machinery, fuel, lubricants, commodity stocks, raw materials, finished products, furniture and office equipment, documents and electronic data, expenses for emergency work, dismantling, cleaning and disposal, costs for spill cleanup and environmental restoration, losses from downtime, and lost income.

Important: Not all listed losses are compensated under the ECA program. However, they must be recorded for insurance, accounting, legal protection, international claims, and other support programs.

6. COLLECT PROPERTY DOCUMENTS

Prepare and keep copies of:

• ownership documents;
• extracts from the State Register of Proprietary Rights;
• contracts (purchase, supply, construction, leasing);
• technical passports;
• design and permit documentation;
• commissioning acts;
• inventory cards;
• acceptance/transfer acts;
• invoices, bills, and payment documents;
• documents on the origin and cost of equipment;
• accounting registers;
• documents on fuel, goods, and raw material balances;
• vehicle documents;
• lease agreements if the company uses someone else’s property.

If originals are destroyed, begin restoring them through state registers, counterparties, banks, notaries, suppliers, and archives.

7. ORDER TECHNICAL INSPECTION AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Engage authorized specialists to perform:

• commission or technical inspection;
• determination of the facility’s technical condition;
• establishment of restoration feasibility;
• determination of dismantling necessity;
• assessment of direct actual damage.

Results should be formalized as: inspection acts, reports on technical condition, damage assessment reports, or expert/forensic opinions. Assessment must be conducted separately for each property object and contain the amount of direct actual damage.

For fuel enterprises, it is advisable to separately assess: buildings and structures, production equipment, tanks and technological systems, utility networks, fuel and commodity stocks, vehicles, environmental consequences, and costs for dismantling and restoration.

8. FORM A “DAMAGE DOSSIER”

Create a separate paper and electronic file including:

• the manager’s order;
• internal commission act;
• inventory documents;
• police statement and extract from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations;
• SES documents;
• documents from local authorities or military administration;
• photo and video materials;
• ownership documents;
• technical passports;
• technical inspection acts;
• assessment reports;
• accounting documents;
• documents on emergency, dismantling, and restoration work;
• insurance contracts and correspondence with the insurer;
• correspondence with state agencies, banks, and funds;
• confirmation of information entry into state registers.

It is recommended to form a separate set of documents for each damaged object.

9. NOTIFY THE INSURANCE COMPANY

If property is insured:

• notify the insurer immediately;
• adhere to the deadline and method of notification provided by the contract;
• obtain written confirmation of the application registration;
• coordinate the inspection of damaged property;
• do not conduct dismantling or disposal without agreement from the insurer, except for emergency work to save people and prevent further damage;
• keep all documents regarding expenses for localization and cleanup.

Insurance payouts and state compensation cannot be obtained twice for the same loss. Received insurance or other payouts are taken into account when determining the amount of compensation.

10. ECA PROGRAM: WHO CAN RECEIVE COMPENSATION

Since January 1, 2026, a state program for partial compensation of property costs damaged or destroyed by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation has been in effect, administered by the Export Credit Agency of Ukraine.

Participants can be legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, except for subjects of the state and municipal economic sectors.

Main condition: Compensation is provided only for property that was damaged or destroyed after the enterprise became a program participant and included the respective property in the application. The program does not compensate for losses that occurred before the enterprise acquired participant status.

11. TERRITORIES COVERED BY THE ECA PROGRAM

The compensation mechanism covers property located in high-risk regions:

Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv.

The program does not extend to temporarily occupied territories for which an end date for temporary occupation has not been defined. The current status of a specific territorial community must be checked on the date of application submission.

12. WHAT PROPERTY CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE ECA PROGRAM

The program covers property that:

• belongs to the enterprise by right of ownership;
• is used or was used before damage in core activities.

You can include:

• Buildings and Structures: production, administrative, warehouse, and other buildings, and individual parts of buildings.
• Production Equipment: machines, apparatuses, tools, devices, and equipment used in work, production, or service provision.
• Utility Networks and Communications: equipment, structures, and communications providing electricity, gas, heat, and water supply, ventilation, and sewage.

The program does not provide a direct basis for the compensation of: vehicles, fuel, commodity stocks, raw materials, finished products, cash, lost profits, missing income, or downtime losses. Such losses must be recorded separately for other reimbursement mechanisms.

13. HOW TO BECOME AN ECA PROGRAM PARTICIPANT

The enterprise must:

1. Identify the property to be included.
2. Independently determine the amount of probable damage for each object within its value.
3. Pay a one-time fee (0.5% of the total declared amount of probable damage).
4. Submit an application to the ECA with the required documents.

The total sum of contributions cannot exceed 0.5% of the maximum compensation limit. With the current limit of 30 million UAH, the maximum total contribution is 150,000 UAH.

Documents for participation:

• ownership documents;
• extract from the Unified State Register (USR), generated no earlier than 10 calendar days before submission;
• confirmation of fee payment;
• documents on the signatory’s authority, if data is missing from the USR;
• copies of the signatory’s passport and tax ID number.

A property appraisal report is not required for entry, and a preliminary inspection by the ECA is not conducted. The ECA reviews documents within 30 calendar days.

14. SIZE OF COMPENSATION UNDER THE ECA PROGRAM

• Maximum total compensation: up to 30 million UAH per business entity for the duration of the program.
• Compensation cannot exceed: the direct actual damage, the declared amount of probable damage, the established general limit, or the value of the property.
• Payment of the 0.5% fee does not guarantee an automatic payout of 30 million UAH. The actual amount is determined by the confirmed direct damage, taking into account insurance and other received payouts.

15. HOW TO RECEIVE COMPENSATION AFTER SHELLING

After damage occurs:

1. Perform all steps for documenting the event and damages.
2. Conduct technical inspection and assessment of direct actual damage.
3. Ensure the entry of documents and information about the damaged property into the State Register of Property Damaged and Destroyed by hostilities.
4. Submit an application for compensation to the ECA with the required documents (ownership docs, photos, inspection acts, technical report, police/SES docs, assessment report).

Submitting an application for compensation means the enterprise joins the agreement on ceding to the state the right of claim against the Russian Federation for the portion of damage compensated by the state.

16. REVIEW TIMELINES

• The ECA reviews the application within 30 calendar days (may be extended by another 30).
• The application can be submitted after entering documents into the State Register, but no later than three months from the date the martial law is terminated or lifted.
• It is not recommended to postpone documenting damages and preparing documents until the end of martial law.

17. IF THE ENTERPRISE WAS NOT AN ECA PROGRAM PARTICIPANT

If property was damaged before joining the program, receiving compensation under Resolution No. 1541 is impossible. However, you must still:

• properly document the event;
• conduct an inventory;
• obtain police and SES documents;
• perform technical inspection and assessment;
• notify the insurer;
• enter information into state registers;
• keep documents for future international claims against the RF;
• check available credit, grant, local, and international recovery programs.

Joining the ECA program after shelling can only protect the enterprise from possible future damage to other property or re-damage of properly included objects.

18. MOST COMMON MISTAKES

• lack of a police statement and extract from the USR;
• incomplete or contradictory documents regarding the date, address, and circumstances;
• dismantling or disposing of property before inspection;
• insufficient photo and video documentation;
• lack of inventory and serial numbers;
• mixing damages of different objects in one calculation;
• lack of ownership documents;
• untimely notification of the insurer;
• lack of professional assessment of direct damage;
• erroneous assumption that program participation can be arranged after the event;
• including non-owned property;
• expecting compensation for fuel, transport, stocks, or lost profit under the ECA program;
• lack of a separate “damage dossier.”

SHORT ALGORITHM:

People Safety → SES/Police/Medical → Photo/Video → Police Report → SES Docs → Internal Commission Order → Inventory → Preservation of Evidence → Insurer Notification → Technical Inspection & Assessment → Separate Object Dossier → State Register Entry → Application to ECA or other programs.

ATTENTION:

The ECA program is a mechanism for preliminary protection against possible future war damages, not automatic compensation for property already damaged. To be eligible for compensation, the enterprise must become a participant and include the respective property before the event occurs.

Check the current edition of the CMU Resolution No. 1541 and actual forms on the official website of the Export Credit Agency of Ukraine.