Russian Families Turn to AI to Depict Dead Soldiers Returning Home
Reporting based primarily on bbc.com.
Russian families are increasingly using AI to create videos and images that 'resurrect' or symbolically protect loved ones killed or serving in the war in Ukraine, with content portraying soldiers as heroes and angels gaining traction on social media since mid-2025. [1]
AI Videos Depict Soldiers Returning or in Heaven
AI-generated clips often show soldiers returning home, embracing family, or ascending to heaven surrounded by angels, omitting any depiction of Ukraine or the destruction caused by Russia's invasion. [1] A 15-second AI-generated clip posted on Instagram by blogger Katya Jin shows a woman turning to see a man in military uniform on a snowy Moscow street, with billboards reading "The Special Military Operation has ended" and "Our heroes are coming home." [1] Many videos follow a set pattern in which a man in uniform embraces his loved ones before walking up a staircase into a blue sky, often surrounded by angels. [1] In other clips the "ghost" of the dead soldier appears to embrace his family from heaven. [1] Some videos feature women wrapping their husbands in angel wings to symbolically shield them from harm, with soldiers depicted as angels. [1]
Families Seek Closure Through Digital Farewells
At least 225,000 Russian soldiers' deaths have been verified by the BBC, Mediazona and volunteers, though the true toll is believed higher; families use the content to cope with 'unfinished farewells'. [1] Anna Korableva from Kamensk-Uralsky began making AI-generated videos with her sister in May 2025 under the "Farewell video" project. [1] She says the aim is to help people cope with "unfinished farewells" and give them a chance to "embrace" husbands, parents and children again. [1] "In the first months of working on these videos, I cried almost every day," she told the BBC. [1] "Over time, I learned to separate my emotions from work. I try to focus on the technical side, to make sure the video turns out beautiful and worthy of someone's memory." [1] Dozens of people requested similar content featuring deceased relatives by submitting photographs, after which AI animates the material following specific prompts. [1] Heartfelt farewell letters can also be mocked up and placed in the hands of a deceased relative. [1]
Commercial Scale and Earnings of AI Creators
Creators like Katya Jin and Anna Korableva produce these videos for fees ranging from 200 to 10,000 roubles, with some earning 150,000-200,000 roubles monthly, roughly double Russia's average wage. [1] Katya Jin regularly posted AI videos to her 10 million TikTok followers and 50,000 Instagram followers, often alongside tutorials explaining how to make them. [1] Her own family's story became part of the sales pitch, and viewers could order similar videos featuring their own loved ones. [1] In Russia, AI-generated military-themed photos and videos can cost between 200 roubles and 10,000 roubles. [1] Ulyana Lebed, who is married to a Russian serviceman, has told the BBC she earns between 150-200,000 roubles a month. [1] International generative AI tools have become difficult to access from Russia, leading many to turn to creators like Katya Jin and Anna Korableva. [1]
Divergent Reactions and Ukrainian Outrage
Reactions are divided, with some finding comfort while others, including Ukrainians, express outrage; experts note the ethical complexity and uncertain psychological impact on grief. [1] Responses online to such clips are sharply divided, with some saying they were brought to tears while others see the practice as unethical. [1] One Ukrainian commented: "You should be ashamed to show your 'heroes' who went to earn blood money by killing our children." [1] One user wrote beneath an AI-generated video: "Be careful that loss doesn't come knocking at your door. Some subjects should not be touched — but you just wanted to make money." [1] Some who commissioned AI videos featuring deceased loved ones told the BBC the clips did little to ease their pain. [1] One woman said: "Could technology help me accept that I will never hug my son again? No. It's an illusion." [1] Another said: "Psychologically, no, of course it didn't help - how could it?" after purchasing an AI-generated photo of her late husband for his headstone. [1] One Russian woman wrote: "Thank you, AI, for this opportunity to be with my loved one." [1]
Ethical and Psychological Questions Raised
The practice is part of a broader global 'digital afterlife' industry that has grown during wartime when death and loss dominate. [1] Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska, a researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, says very little is yet known about the long-term psychological and social impact of this technology on the grieving process. [1] "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," she says. [1] She notes that posthumous avatars are already being used in museums, courtrooms and political campaigns. [1] Ethically, the political context makes such videos "deeply problematic," she says, and on a psychological level it is unclear whether AI visualisations help people deal with grief or deepen it instead. [1] "In a sense, we are all in the midst of a technological and cultural experiment," Nowaczyk-Basińska says. [1]
Context Within Global Digital Afterlife Trends
After the BBC first reported on Katya Jin's story, she removed her AI-generated content from Instagram and TikTok. [1] BBC Russian approached Katya Jin for comment, but she did not respond to questions. [1] The videos are part of a broader global "digital afterlife" industry, and the technology becomes even more popular during wartime when "death and loss are dominant themes," according to Nowaczyk-Basińska. [1]
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