Russians spending thousands of roubles on AI photos and videos to resurrect dead soldiers - WION

Families of Russian soldiers who died or went missing during the conflict in Ukraine are increasingly turning to AI-generated media to create a digital afterlife for their loved ones. These synthetic photos and videos, which depict fallen soldiers as heroes, angels, or returning home, have sparked significant ethical debate and public criticism.

What happened

The phenomenon involves a growing industry where content creators use AI to animate images or generate videos of deceased military personnel. Common visual themes include soldiers portrayed with angel wings, ascending stairs to heaven, or reuniting with their families in staged, fictional scenarios. In one prominent example, a blogger named Katya Jin shared a 15-second AI video depicting a soldier returning home; Jin, whose own husband is missing in action, has used her platform to promote these services to other grieving relatives.

This digital practice has become a profitable venture, with creators charging between 200 and 10,000 roubles per project. Successful individuals in this space report earning up to 200,000 roubles monthly, a figure significantly higher than the average Russian wage. While some families view these deepfakes as a source of comfort—sometimes even displaying them at funerals—the trend has faced intense backlash. Critics argue that these creators are capitalizing on raw grief, and the content has drawn sharp disapproval from Ukrainians who view the digital resurrection of combatants as deeply unsettling. Amidst a broader context where the Russian administration avoids public discussion of human losses, these AI-generated portrayals serve to emphasize themes of patriotism and heroism, transforming the reality of the battlefield into a sanitized, digital narrative.