Russia's Deathonomics: When War Becomes the Best Job in Town
Simon Whistler · July 7, 2025 · 24 min video · Europe & NATO
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From the transcript
In Vladimir Putin's Russia, a dead soldier is worth more than a living one. That's not us being hyperbolic, it is just basic economics. A 35-year-old soldier killed in Ukraine can leave his family with up to 14.5 million rubles, that's nearly $200,000 more money than most Russians from poor regions could earn in decades.
This grim maths, when applied to the enormous scale of the Russia-Ukrainian War has led economists to coin the term "death-anomics", essentially an economy where dying for the state has become the most reliable path to prosperity for families.
Russian state television has even celebrated grieving parents using their son's death benefit to buy the wide blader that he'd always dreamed of, presenting coffin money as a heartwarming family story. Across Russia's poorest regions, military recruitment officers have become the most reliable source of economic opportunity.
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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About this briefing
In Putin’s Russia, war has become the best-paying job. Explore how military death benefits turned poverty into profit—and why Russia’s economy now depends on a steady supply of coffins.
