- Category
- War in Ukraine
Russia’s Coffin Prices Surge 105% Since Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
The average cost of a coffin in Russia has risen by 105% since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
According to The Moscow Times on August 7, citing data from Russia’s state statistics system Rosstat, the average price of a coffin reached 9,167 rubles (about $112) in June 2026, compared with 4,469 rubles (about $54) in February 2022.
Prices began increasing during the first months of the full-scale war. Between February and August 2022, the average cost rose by 12%, or 548 rubles (about $7).
Another increase followed Russia’s announcement of partial mobilization in September 2022. A coffin that cost an average of 4,998 rubles (about $61) that month was priced at 6,669 rubles (about $81) by February 2023—an increase of about 33%.
Rosstat data cited by The Moscow Times show that coffin prices increased by 13.6% in 2022 and another 37.2% in 2023. Prices subsequently rose by 11.6% in 2024, 9.3% in 2025, and a further 7% during the first half of 2026.
The cost of grave digging has also increased substantially. The service averaged 7,849 rubles (about $96) in February 2022, rising to 8,862 rubles (about $108) in January 2023, 10,096 rubles (about $123) in January 2024, and 11,467 rubles (about $140) in January 2025. By December 2025, the average price had reached 12,576 rubles (about $153)—about 60% above its pre-invasion level.
Beginning in 2026, Rosstat removed grave digging from the basket of services used to calculate consumer inflation and stopped publishing its average price.
Russia’s broader funeral services sector has also expanded. According to data cited by The Moscow Times, its total turnover reached 128 billion rubles (about $1.56 billion) in 2025, more than 50% above the level recorded in 2021.
A total of 1,543 new funeral service companies opened in Russia during 2025. Another 995 entered the market during the first six months of 2026, the highest first-half figure recorded in five years.
The rise in Russia’s funeral costs comes as Moscow continues to sustain heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on July 31 that Russia had suffered about 1.6 million military casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion, including approximately 700,000 troops killed.
Discuss this article:
-9a7b3a98ed5c506e0b77a6663f5727c5.png)
