More money needed to cover the rising cost of soldiers' funerals and tombstones as Russian casualties mount in Ukraine war, report says

Mourners attend a funeral of Russian service members killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict. — Mourners attend a funeral of Russian service members killed during Ukraine-Russia conflict, at a cemetery in Vladikavkaz, Russia April 8, 2022.
Reuters

Russia's FSB has asked for more money to fund soldiers' funerals and tombstones, RFE/RL reported.
The FSB has requested a 17% increase in state funding for funeral arrangements, according to government documents.
The request comes at a time when Russia is suffering "significant" troop losses and soaring inflation.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has asked the Kremlin to increase funding for troop funeral services and tombstones, according to government documents seen by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

The FSB, the KGB's main successor organization, has asked for a 17% increase in state funding for funeral arrangements, the documents show, per RFE/RL.

The FSB has specifically requested that the amount spent on funeral and burial services for each soldier be raised to a maximum of 74,200 rubles ($910), depending on their rank, the media outlet reported.

The request comes when Russia is suffering considerable troop losses as the war in Ukraine nears the two month mark.

Ukraine's defense ministry claimed on Friday that it had killed about 20,000 soldiers and officers of the Russian army. This number has not been independently verified, and death toll estimates vary.

Last week, a Kremlin spokesperson acknowledged that Russia has suffered "significant losses of troops" in Ukraine but did not provide a specific number of casualties.

Russian officials said last month that close to 1,400 soldiers had been killed in combat — a number that US and NATO officials determined was likely a significant undercount.

The request for increased state funding toward funeral arrangements also comes at a time when inflation is skyrocketing in Russia, and the prices of just about everything are rising.

Economists say Russians are likely to have to cope with inflation of 20% or more by the end of the year, Insider's Harry Robertson reported.

Reuters reported last week that annual inflation in Russia hit its highest in more than 20 years. Western sanctions are understood to have sent consumer prices soaring in Russia.

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