«Сдохни, дорогой»: как война сделала мёртвого мужа выгоднее живого | Разборы

Sep 14, 2026

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"Die, my dear": how the war made a dead husband more profitable than a living one

How has death in war become a profitable business? An investigation into "black widows," sham marriages, and the cynical economy of death in Russia.

In Russia, there is an official price list for the death of citizens who have signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense. In the event of the death of a participant in the Special Military Operation (SMO), their family is entitled to a payment of approximately 15 million rubles. This sum, intended for official heirs, has given rise to a new market and an industry of profiting from the deaths of military personnel. Those involved in this are called "black widows" or "serial widows," as well as "Malvinas" by analogy with the character from "The Adventures of Buratino."

This market has a pronounced gender specificity, oriented exclusively towards men. Although women can also sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense and receive similar payments in case of death, they are not in demand in this market.

The phenomenon of "black widows" is actively studied and is acquiring its own folklore. Many media outlets have written about it, documentaries and talk shows have been filmed, the general pathos of which is reduced to condemning fatal women, human greed, and horror.

The "Black Widows" Market

Introduction to the problem: the cost of life and death in Russia, official payments for the death of contract soldiers, and the emergence of the "black widows" market.

The death of a Russian Federation citizen who signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense is estimated at approximately 15 million rubles for his family.
A whole industry has emerged for earning money from the deaths of SVO participants, known as "black widows" or "malvinkas".
The market is exclusively focused on men, although contracts are also available to women.
The phenomenon of "black widows" is well-studied and is acquiring folklore.

Schemes of earning on death

Stories and examples of fraud: how women use the death of men to receive payments, including stories of fictitious marriages and deception.

Examples where the biological mother learns about her son's marriage only after his death.
Women cynically view the partner's death as an opportunity to receive 7 million rubles and monthly payments.
"Working scheme": find a man serving in the SMO, wait for his death, and receive 8 million rubles.
Realtor from Tomsk Marina Orlova offered a "scheme" to earn money on the death of men, receiving compulsory labor for it.

Historical Parallels: Tantina

Historical roots of the phenomenon: analysis of the Tantina as a historical financial instrument and its connection to the modern phenomenon of "black widows".

Tantina is a type of loan where a group of people contribute money to a common pot, and the state undertakes to pay an annual interest.
The share of a deceased participant in a Tantina is redistributed among the remaining participants, increasing their income.
In the USA, Tantias were popular but led to cases of murder for profit.
In 1905, New York State closed similar schemes due to the risk of inciting murders.

Moral Hazard in Insurance

Modern cases of fraud: examples from the USA, Japan, and Russia, where a person's death brings someone money, and how the insurance industry fights "moral hazard".

In the USA, elderly women found homeless people, took out insurance policies on them, and killed them.
In Japan, a woman killed seven husbands and lovers, receiving about $7 million in insurance payouts.
Insurers call this "moral hazard" – when a death benefit creates an incentive for that death.
The underwriting service checks who is taking out a policy on whom and why, to avoid a "contract for murder".

The Mironovs' Case

The Mironovs' case: a detailed analysis of the case of a couple from the Kurgan region who organized a "production" of fictitious marriages and the receipt of payments for the deceased.

The Mironov couple sought out lonely, drinking men, arranged fictitious marriages for them, and waited for their deaths.
The requirements for the "raw material" were dictated by accounting: the fewer relatives the deceased had, the larger the widow's share.
Oleg Potapov was married to Svetlana Mironova 3 days before receiving a new passport and was sent to the SMO a week later, where he died a month later.
After Oleg's death, the Mironovs bought two new Toyota Camrys, and Svetlana did not attend the funeral.

Geography of Fraud

Other examples of fraud across Russia: groups in Primorye, Arkhangelsk and Bryansk regions, Perm Krai, demonstrating similar schemes.

A group was detained in Primorye that married marginalized individuals to women from their group and persuaded them to join assault units.
In the Arkhangelsk region, suspects received over 15 million rubles for a fictitious marriage to a deceased person.
In the Bryansk region, a military registration inspector arranged a fictitious marriage with a convict who died in the SMO.
In the Perm Krai, a military enlistment office employee is accused of taking a conscript to the registry office to formalize a marriage before sending him to the front.

Patriarchal Society and Male Vulnerability

Social and cultural aspects: analysis of Russian patriarchal society, the cult of strength, and the lack of tools to support men, making them vulnerable.

The Russian model of masculinity is based on the cult of strength, unwillingness to complain, and ask for help.
The lack of adequate tools for recovery after stress leads to alcoholism and vulnerability.
Women, despite inequality, often possess better skills for everyday survival and life management.
The phenomenon of 'black widows' is the 'price for toughness,' where men become victims of the system.

Deception of those returning from the front

Victims returning from the front: stories of men who were deceived and robbed after returning with injuries or awards.

Alexey Slotin, who lost a leg in the SMO, returned to find his apartment sold and his accounts emptied.
He was taken to a notary under the guise of help with privatization, forced to sign powers of attorney, and a sham marriage was arranged.
Anatoly Parfenov from Buryatia signed papers before being sent to the front with the head of the village, who took out a general power of attorney and a salary card in her name.
Her ex-husband, 15 years her junior, died in the SMO 4 months after the wedding.

Conscription and the Hiring of 'Hunters'

Russian tradition and conscription: a historical analysis of conscription and the hiring of 'hunters' as predecessors to modern schemes.

Conscription (before 1874) allowed communities to get rid of drunkards, offenders, and the vicious.
There was the hiring of a 'hunter' – a poor person who would go into conscription for money instead of another.
Peter I allowed serfs to send purchased people into conscription in their stead.
In Penza in 2024-2025, at least 35 million rubles from the city budget were spent on recruiters.

Reaction to the Phenomenon

Reaction of SMO participants and authorities: how fighters and propagandists talk about "black widows," and why the authorities are not making it a federal campaign topic.

SMO fighters know that they want money from them, and this is no secret.
Propagandists note that guys on the brink of life and death are looking for a living feeling, which is how they are caught.
State Duma deputy Andrey Kolesnik stated that the fighters are "not entirely in their right minds" before being sent off.
Bills are being proposed in the State Duma to toughen punishment for fictitious marriages for the purpose of receiving payments.

The Double Bottom of Propaganda

The double bottom of the topic: why the topic of "black widows" is not becoming a federal propaganda campaign and how it is related to the logic of the system.

The discussion of "black widows" affects the "funeral" market, which feeds on the front-line "ubl".
This also reveals the truth about "hero-defenders" who are actually going to kill for money.
The authorities punish those who profit "not according to the plan", but do not violate the state monopoly on the use of "not entirely healthy condition".
Realtor Marina Orlova was sentenced to compulsory labor for "inciting hatred".

Family Disputes and Degradation

Family disputes and moral decay: how money for the deceased provokes conflicts between relatives and deforms children's perception of the world.

Wars over the dead man's money begin between real relatives (mother and wife of the deceased).
Courts consider disputes over payments between mothers and widows of fallen soldiers.
Children see a world where a person's death is an opportunity to get "money" (money).
A huge part of society agrees that someone else's death is a normal transaction where the deceased is more profitable than the living.

Scale and Parasites

The scale of the tragedy and the parasites of the system: an assessment of the death toll, the number of lawsuits, and the emergence of scammers trading in non-existent living people.

The number of Russian military deaths is estimated at a minimum of 352,000 people.
In 2024-2025, 86,000 lawsuits were filed in courts to recognize military personnel as dead or missing.
Scammers have emerged who write to the wives and mothers of the missing, offering to return them for money.
The economy of death has spawned its own parasites, profiting from the non-existent living.

Absence of a "Third" Player

Conclusion: why there is no "third" player in Russia who could stop this system, and why it will continue to work.

Unlike historical analogues (Tantine, insurance), there is no "third" player in Russia for whom death would be unprofitable.
The state itself sets the price for death, pays it, and investigates it, acting as the seller, cashier, and controller simultaneously.
Mironovs and other fraudsters will be prosecuted, but no one will close the "cash register" because there is no one to do it.
The system will continue to work as long as the war lasts, as the state itself has created a financial incentive for death.