Millions on Death of Soldier: Number of “Black Widows” Is Growing in Russia

In Russia, the number of fictitious marriages with soldiers sent to war against Ukraine is growing.

Women register relationships with single soldiers in order to receive state benefits in the event of their death.

Foreign Policy cites the example of 40-year-old Serhii Khandozhko from the Bryansk region. In October 2023, he married Olena Sokolova, an employee of the local military registration and enlistment office.

The next day after registering, Khandozhko went to the front, and a few months later he was killed in action. After the death of the soldier, Sokolova applied for compensation.

The brother of the deceased challenged the marriage in court and insisted that the union was only for the sake of money. The court supported this argument and recognized the marriage as fictitious.

Foreign Policy notes that similar schemes are increasingly being reported in different regions of Russia. Some of these stories turn into criminal cases.

The author of the article emphasizes that women act with premeditated tactics. They choose lonely and socially vulnerable men without close relatives in order not to share possible payments with other heirs.

Some investigations involve not only “black widows” but also employees of hospitals, military enlistment offices, registry offices, and police. These individuals help to speed up marriages or pass on information about potential “candidates.”

Compensation for the death of a soldier can reach 5-8 million rubles. For depressed regions of Russia, such sums look like a fortune.

The newspaper’s analysts point out that deep poverty, cuts in social spending, and the regions’ growing dependence on military payments create “perverse incentives.” Under these conditions, the death of a soldier turns into an economic resource.

Against this backdrop, some women perceive a sham marriage as an opportunity to get out of poverty. For them, it is the only chance to change their situation.

This business is also flourishing because the Russian army conducts continuous assaults, and people can even be killed for refusing to obey military orders. Recently, in one of the Russian units, soldiers were stripped, beaten and thrown naked into a pit for not following orders.