Russian women marrying soldiers for death compensation:Cases of ‘Black Widow’ marriages increase; hospitals army also involved, claims report

A new scandal has emerged in Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine war. According to a CNN report, women are accused of hastily marrying soldiers going to war and then seizing the government compensation received after their deaths. The Russian media and officials are calling such women ‘Black Widows’. In recent months, several such cases have come to light where soldiers got married just before going to the front or before dying in the hospital. Additionally, there are allegations of hospitals and army officials being involved in the scam. In the most talked-about case, a military hospital nurse was accused of marrying five injured soldiers undergoing treatment at different times. It was alleged that she wanted to claim their compensation after the soldiers’ deaths. After the case came to light, she was fired from her job. After father’s death, daughter found out – marriage had taken place two days earlier Maria, a resident of St Petersburg, was informed by the army that her 59-year-old father, Yuri, had died from a gunshot wound in the Ukraine war. But the biggest shock came when she found out that her father had gotten married just two days before being sent to war. Maria says she had never heard the woman’s name before. She was 22 years younger than her father. After the marriage, she legally became Yuri’s closest relative and was also entitled to government compensation. Maria alleges that her father was deceived. She also claims that her father’s flat was sold, and now all she has left in memory of her father are the keys to that house, which are now useless. Heavy Compensation for Soldier’s Death In Russia, the family of a soldier killed in war receives a one-time government aid of at least 5 million rubles (about 6.2 million Indian rupees). If several other payments and insurance are added, this amount can be even higher. It is alleged that some women, lured by this money, trap single, elderly, or weak soldiers into marriage. After the soldier’s death, the entire compensation goes to the wife. The rest of the family gets nothing. Government promoted quick marriages, after which scams increased After the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Russia eased marriage rules for those joining the army. Normally, in Russia, one has to wait some time after applying for marriage, but during the war, this process was relaxed. New recruits could marry immediately after enlistment if they wished. The government believed that this would provide soldiers with family support and if they died in the war, their wives and families would easily receive government financial aid. However, it was later alleged that some people misused this system to secure compensation. ‘Marry a soldier, buy a flat’ Last year, a statement by real estate agent Marina Orlova in a podcast in Tomsk, Siberia, went very viral. She had said, “If you want to buy a flat, marry a soldier who is going to war. Buy a house with the money received after his death. Nowadays, many women are buying cheap flats this way. This is also a business.” After this, a lawsuit was filed against the agent and the podcast host. Both were sentenced to community service and had to publicly apologize to the soldiers and their families. Soldier died before divorce, wife did not receive compensation Russian soldier Georgy Kostyrko met Angelina Varyukhina when he came home on leave. The two got married just 10 days after meeting. Soon after the wedding, Georgy returned to the front lines of the Ukraine war. Georgy’s mother alleged that after some time of marriage, Angelina started posting pictures and videos with other men on social media. This strained their relationship, and Georgy initiated divorce proceedings. However, Angelina denied these allegations. She stated that the two had later reconciled and the pictures posted on social media were only to make Georgy jealous. Georgy died in a Ukrainian attack before the legal divorce process was completed. According to Russian law, Angelina was his legal wife at that time, so she received the right to government compensation. On this, Georgy’s family knocked on the court’s door. After a long legal battle, the court revoked Angelina’s status as the closest legal relative. After this decision, she did not receive the right to compensation. This case became a topic of discussion throughout Russia, and after this, the debate intensified over suspicious marriages being conducted for compensation for soldiers’ deaths. Serious Allegations Also Leveled Against Army Officers In some cases, the allegations were not limited to women. In Russia’s Primorsky region, investigative agencies also initiated investigations against a warrant officer, a sergeant, and an army accountant. It is alleged that these individuals sought out orphans and men who had no close relatives. They were hastily married off and then sent to the most dangerous fronts of the war. If they died, the compensation money would be divided among them. MP said Save families Russian MP Leonid Slutsky said that there is now a need to protect the families of soldiers from people who are defrauding in the name of marriage and compensation. Such cases are continuously increasing; therefore the government should soon take action by enacting strict laws. As the Ukraine war drags on, economic difficulties are increasing in Russia. A large number of soldiers are dying, and public resentment is also growing. In such an environment, cases of fake marriages for soldiers’ compensation are also rapidly coming to light. This is why this issue has now become a topic of discussion across Russia.