Full Breakdown
AI-Generated Tributes to Fallen Russian Soldiers: A New Digital Afterlife
6/14/2026, 11:33:44 AM
Background & Context
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the war has produced a large, largely unverified number of Russian military fatalities. By mid-2025, families began posting AI-generated videos that depict missing or deceased soldiers reuniting with loved ones. The practice grew as international generative-AI tools became difficult to access inside Russia, prompting a niche market for creators who could produce “deadbots” using locally available models.
Key Creators and Participants
Katya Jin, a TikTok influencer with 10 million followers and 50 000 Instagram followers, posted a 15-second AI clip showing a soldier returning home before removing it after media contact. Anna Korableva launched the “Farewell video” project with her sister in May 2025, stating the aim is to help families cope with “unfinished farewells.” Ulyana Lebed, married to a serviceman, reports monthly earnings of 150-200 000 roubles, roughly double the average Russian wage. Academic Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basinska of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence describes the phenomenon as a “technological and cultural experiment.”
Data & Statistics
- Verified Russian soldier deaths: at least 225 000 (BBC, Mediazona, volunteers).
- Cost of a custom video: 200-10 000 roubles (£2-£100).
- Lebed’s earnings: 150-200 000 roubles per month; average Russian wage ? 75 000 roubles.
- Requests: dozens of families submit photographs for personalized videos.
- Production quality varies; some outputs contain distorted faces or missing limbs.
Psychological and Ethical Implications
Researchers note the unclear long-term impact on grieving. Some families report emotional relief, while others describe the videos as “an illusion” that fails to ease loss. The digital-afterlife industry, already present in museums and courtrooms, now extends to wartime mourning, raising questions about commodifying grief and the ethical limits of deep-fake technology.
Criticism & Opposition
Ukrainian commenters denounce the videos as propaganda, writing, “You should be ashamed to show your ‘heroes’ who went to earn blood money by killing our children.” Some online users warn that the practice turns grief into a commercial venture. Critics argue the practice exploits bereaved families for profit.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Official Russian casualty figures remain undisclosed, creating uncertainty about the true scale of loss. Academic assessments of psychological outcomes are limited, and no systematic study has measured whether AI tributes aid or hinder the grieving process.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Creating 'deadbots' of Russian soldiers or deepfakes of fallen Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine is extremely complex and ethically difficult to assess in a clear-cut way,” — Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basinska, Researcher
- “In the first months of working on these videos, I cried almost every day,” — Anna Korableva, Project Founder
- “You should be ashamed to show your 'heroes' who went to earn blood money by killing our children,” — Ukrainian commenter
- “Could technology help me accept that I will never hug my son again? No. It's an illusion,” — Grieving mother
