The state program eRestoration has become one of Ukraine's largest wartime initiatives, reaching millions of citizens whose homes were damaged as a result of hostilities. According to the Ministry of Restoration, as of October 10, 2026, compensation was received by 273,169 families totaling 160.9 billion hryvnias. Of these, over 159,000 families received payments for damaged housing worth 15.5 billion hryvnias, and over 109,000 families received certificates for the purchase of new housing for destroyed property worth 137.2 billion hryvnias. There are more than a thousand special assessment commissions operating in the country to review citizens' applications regarding the consequences of shelling. Olena Shulyak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning, emphasized in a comment to RBC-Ukraine that the program's effectiveness is best measured by the number of families who were able to resolve their housing issues thanks to it.
The Category 'Trap': Surviving Walls Deny Funds for Restoration
However, behind the overall figures lies a complex system of damage categories that in some cases puts homeowners at a dead end. According to the program's rules, if surviving walls remain in a house after shelling, the object is automatically classified under capital repairs. This means residents receive only a limited amount for restoration but do not get a certificate to purchase new housing. For citizens living in frontline communities where a house is effectively uninhabitable but not formally recognized as destroyed, this classification proves critical: they receive neither full compensation for restoration nor a certificate for new housing. It is this 'gray zone' between damage and destruction that creates the greatest flow of appeals and complaints about the work of assessment commissions.
Frontline Territories: Commissions Work Under Shelling, While Payments Are Frozen
The program's actual implementation varies noticeably depending on the region. In rear oblasts, commissions operate normally, whereas in frontline zones, the process is complicated by security risks for experts. A clear example is data from the Izium District State Administration dated October 16, 2026. In the Balakliia community, relatively distant from the frontline, the commission closed 94% of damage applications (5,450 statements), and in Izium — 91% (5,501). At the same time, in the frontline Borova community of the same district, applications for compensation for damaged objects are not accepted at all: due to the active combat zone status, repair payments are frozen by law. A similar situation arose in Kramatorsk after the community's status changed in August 2026. Regarding destroyed housing, the contrast is also sharp: while commissions approved 80% of certificate applications in the Izium district, in the Borova community it was only 39%. In Kharkiv Oblast, more than 260,000 reports of housing destruction and damage were recorded through the Diia application, notes the regional military administration.
Remote Inspection Stalls: Satellite Images Haven't Been Updated Since Last Year
According to the program's rules, commissions in hazardous zones are required to conduct inspections remotely — using drones or satellite images. However, in practice, this mechanism operates unstably. As the Izium RMA pointed out, the Borova Military Administration sends letters to specialized departments requesting up-to-date data, yet State Space Agency satellite images for certain communities have not been updated since last year. This creates a situation where the commission cannot confirm the actual state of the object, and the citizen cannot receive either a positive or negative decision on their application. As a result, tens of thousands of appeals in frontline territories remain 'hanging' indefinitely.
Practical Risks for Citizens: What Not to Do and How to Accelerate Review
Experts and government representatives highlight several practical risks that citizens are often unaware of. First, independent repair of damaged housing before the assessment commission's visit deprives the owner of the right to compensation: the commission records the current state of the object, and if the damage has already been eliminated, there are no grounds for payment. Second, the method of submitting an application affects processing times: filing through a ASC (administrative services center) allows fixing the date of appeal and reduces the risk of delayed review compared to an exclusively remote channel. Third, it is important to save all photos, videos, and documents confirming the fact of damage until the commission's inspection.
Bill No. 11444: Equating Housing in Uninhabitable Zones to Destroyed Property
In response to systemic problems in frontline regions, Draft Law No. 11444 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, proposing to equate housing in areas officially recognized as uninhabitable to destroyed property. If the initiative is adopted, it will eliminate the need for commissions to travel out under shelling and allow issuing certificates for new housing without conducting a physical inspection. According to Olena Shulyak's estimate, the price of current inspections in frontline zones 'is quite high, because we are talking about the lives of commission members who have to travel to objects, often under shelling.' In Donetsk Oblast, in the Kostiantynivka community, a significant amount of work has already been carried out: 1,359 residential buildings — private and apartment blocks — have been officially recognized as destroyed, and 4,623 housing certificates have been issued to owners. The adoption of Draft Law No. 11444 could become a key step toward unblocking thousands of 'stalled' appeals in the country's most dangerous regions.
