Cardboard Coffins Approved—Russia Lowers Funeral Standards in Crimea as Casualties Surge

Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea have approved the use of non-wood coffins for state-funded funerals, allowing materials such as cardboard, compressed wood chips, and other alternatives, according to The Moscow Times on April 17.

The change follows amendments to local regulations that previously required coffins to be made specifically from timber. Under the updated rules, the only remaining restriction is cost, which must not exceed approximately $44.80 per coffin.

Local funeral industry representatives say the shift reflects long-standing inconsistencies between formal standards and how regulations are interpreted on the ground.

“Someone is tasked with drafting a regulation. They know coffins are usually made of wood, so they write it that way. And once it says ‘wooden,’ it has to be wooden,” said Yuriy Peftiev, owner of a packaging and design company in Crimea that already produces cardboard coffins.

The decision comes as Russia’s funeral sector experiences significant growth, driven in part by mounting military losses in the war against Ukraine.

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War in Ukraine

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According to a report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russian military casualties had reached approximately 1.198 million killed and wounded by the end of the fourth year of the war. In 2025 alone, losses were estimated at around 425,000 personnel—or roughly 35,000 per month.

“These figures are staggering. No major country has sustained such losses in any conflict since World War II,” CSIS analysts said.

According to The Moscow Times, the United States lost about 54,400 service members killed in the Korean War, 47,300 in Vietnam, and roughly 2,400 during operations in Afghanistan.

Russia’s losses in Ukraine, according to the report, exceed Soviet losses in Afghanistan by 17 times, surpass casualties from both Chechen wars by 11 times, and are five times higher than the combined losses of all wars fought by the Soviet Union and Russia since 1945.

Earlier, reports emerged that over the past decade, more than 1,000 new cemeteries have appeared across Russia, alongside a rapid expansion of state crematories.

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