How Russia’s War Feeds a $500M Mafia-Run Funeral Empire

In the 1990s, St. Petersburg gangsters killed morgue staff who resisted. By the 2000s, the funeral business was among Russia’s most criminal trades. Now, the war sends profits soaring while soldier burial payouts stay capped.

Step 1: Know your dead

Corruption is the baseline. In April 2025, a funeral magnate bribed police for death lists—beating families to the news. A common gang tactic to lock in sales before rivals.

Step 2: Murder

Shocking cases, like funeral kingpin Roman Ikizli’s takeover of a Russian hospital, show how patients can be extorted and neglected—expediting the deaths of the gravely ill for cash.

Step 3: “Protection”

When not cashing in on corpses, gangs with ties to the police impose “Krysha” (lit. roof) rackets onto funeral homes, morgues, and cemeteries. Krysha payments buy market access and safety.

Step 4: Profit

Wartime deaths fuel a $500M boom in 2025: 200+ new funeral firms, with soaring coffin prices and grave-digging fees.