In Russia, some women are marrying soldiers before they head to the front lines in Ukraine, hoping to receive a substantial payout if the soldier is killed. This practice has drawn criticism in a country where the government has encouraged marriage for 'family values'.
When a Russian soldier is killed, the military provides a payment starting at 5,000,000 rubles (around £45,000). This benefit, intended to support the soldier's family, is now being exploited by scammers known as 'black widows', who marry soldiers solely to secure the money upon their death.
Scandal at military hospital
One woman working at a military hospital was dismissed after marrying five soldiers who later died from their injuries, allowing her to claim the payouts. The Kremlin has spoken out against the practice as it struggles to maintain the narrative at home that the war in Ukraine is going well.
Experts weigh in
Keir Giles, a Russia expert at Chatham House, told Metro: 'The financial incentives are life-changing, and so, of course, is what they call the “coffin money” if somebody doesn’t make it back. Hence the booming industry in “Black Widows,” some of whom are on their third soldier already because they’ve made a habit of it. So it is very, very lucrative. This is something unsurprising for Russia.'
Giles added: 'There seems to be greater acceptance in Russian society of sending people off to die for the Motherland than you might expect in a Western liberal democracy. But people also don’t have a clear idea of the scale of the slaughter because Russia has worked very hard to conceal that information from its population.'
Death payments as opportunity
Dr Ian Garner, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Totalitarian Studies at the Pilecki Institute, told Metro that other factors are at play. 'People often ask why the huge death toll in the war hasn’t switched people off war entirely in Russia or hasn’t brought out huge numbers of protesters,' he said. 'The answer is the state provides them through war the means to become not just richer, more powerful and successful, but also to become a better patriot, a hero at the same time.'
'People see these death payments as the chance to make some money. This is the only opportunity that people may have to transform their lives,' Garner added. 'The Kremlin is quite explicit in advertising its war that the war is a chance to become a hero. But becoming a hero in Russia doesn’t just mean being patriotic, being imperialistic, being a kind of Orthodox Christian crusader. Being a hero can mean simply transforming the self, becoming more powerful and wealthier.'
