Russia Builds Over 1,000 New Cemeteries Amid Record War Casualties in Ukraine

Over the past decade, more than 1,000 new cemeteries have appeared across Russia, alongside a rapid expansion of state crematories, The Moscow Times reported on April 16.

It is indicated that the country grapples with its highest military casualty rates since World War II. According to data from the Unified Interdepartmental Statistical Information System (EMISS) cited by Russian media, the total number of Russian cemeteries grew from 72,760 to 73,833.

By the end of 2025, the regions with the highest number of burial grounds were Bashkortostan (4,761), Tatarstan (3,194), and the Smolensk region (2,524).

Concurrently, the number of cremation facilities is increasing. According to the Russian Ministry of Construction, 33 state crematories were registered in Russia in 2025, ten more than in 2015. Moscow currently operates three facilities, while regions like Chelyabinsk, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, and Novosibirsk each have two, according to The Moscow Times.

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War in Ukraine

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To handle the growing demand, authorities in St. Petersburg recently decided to expand the city’s crematorium into the largest in Europe, enabling it to process up to 240 cremations per day following modernization.

The surge in burial and cremation infrastructure coincides with devastating losses in the war against Ukraine. According to Western intelligence and the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Russian army’s losses are the highest the country has experienced since 1945. CSIS estimates that by the end of 2025, Russia had suffered up to 325,000 troops killed in action, with total casualties—including the wounded—reaching 1.196 million.

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