Russia's "Black Widows" Are Scamming Soldiers Into Marriages For Death Payouts

Under Russian military rules, families of soldiers killed in combat receive compensation starting at five million rubles (around Rs 60 lakh). The payments are meant to reassure recruits that their loved ones will be financially protected if they die in the war.However, according to Russian officials and state media, the system is increasingly being exploited by women nicknamed "black widows".In this "black widow" scam, vulnerable men are persuaded into sham marriages just before deployment. If they are killed, their new wives legally receive the compensation, leaving parents, children or siblings with nothing.Daughter Learns Father Married 2 Days Before War DeathAccording to a report by CNN, 37-year-old Maria from St Petersburg only got to know that her 59-year-old father had been duped in this scam after the Russian military officials contacted her.She told the publication that her father, Yury, had secretly enlisted in the army and that he had married a woman just two days before being deployed to the front."I'm still in shock and still can't accept what happened," Maria sobbed. "At first, it felt like a dream. Even now, I sometimes wake up thinking I must have just dreamt it all. But it is really happening."Maria said she had never heard her father mention the woman, who was 22 years younger than him. Yet the marriage meant the new bride automatically became his legal closest relative after his death."I've never even spoken to this woman," Maria said."I don't know what to say to her because I immediately suspected it was a scam," she added.However, for Maria, the loss did not end with her father's death. She believes he was also tricked into selling his apartment before going to war. When she visited the flat, new owners insisted they had legally purchased it and had never met the seller. The apartment, money and the widow were all gone.From Hospital Wards To Deathbed WeddingsOne of the most famous cases of this scam involved a nurse at a military hospital who was accused of marrying five wounded soldiers under her care before they died. She was fired after accusations that the marriages were carried out to claim compensation.The report stated that soldiers have even married while seriously injured or on their deathbeds.Amid fuel shortages and the economy getting worse during the Ukraine war, the public has demanded for an official crackdown on the "black widow" scam.Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky has urged authorities to act."The families of Special Military Operation participants need protection from brazen criminals, from so-called 'black widows', from financial and telephone scammers and predators who target those who have received monetary payouts," he said.He warned that such crimes had reached "serious proportions".Marriage Turned Into A BusinessAfter launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin encouraged newly enlisted soldiers to marry. Authorities simplified the process, allowing recruits to wed quickly without the usual waiting period. State television even showcased mass wedding ceremonies organised by local officials.But this policy may also have created opportunities for exploitation.One incident that drew nationwide outrage involved a real estate podcast recorded in the Siberian city of Tomsk.When host Darya Cherdantseva asked how an ordinary woman could afford an apartment, estate agent Marina Orlova replied, "It's simple. Find a man who's serving in the special military operation, and when he gets killed, you get 8 million rubles ($102,000).""Lots of women are buying cheap apartments like that these days. It's business," she added.However, both women were later prosecuted, given lengthy community service sentences and made to publicly apologise.Court Battles Over CompensationAnother case centred on Russian soldier Georgy Kostyrko, who married Angelina Varyukhina just 10 days after meeting her online while on leave from the front.His mother later claimed the marriage had broken down and that her son had filed for divorce after seeing social media posts showing his wife with other men. However, he was killed before the divorce could be completed, leaving Varyukhina legally entitled to the compensation.Varyukhina denied wrongdoing, saying attempts were being made to "blacken" her reputation. She insisted the couple had reconciled and claimed the social media posts were only meant to make her husband jealous.A court later removed her closest relative status, but the case intensified public anger over alleged marriage scams.The Primorsky Krai ScamThe report stated that last year authorities were probing an alleged scheme in Primorsky Krai involving a warrant officer, a sergeant and a military accountant.The trio allegedly identified vulnerable men, including orphans and people without close relatives, arranged marriages for them and then sent the recruits to especially dangerous frontline positions where they were more likely to be killed. Investigators suspected the conspirators planned to share the compensation payments.No public updates have been released since the investigation was announced.