Body Hunters: In Ukraine, Amid War, the Shadow Funeral Business Has Flourished - Le Monde 0 10

In Ukraine, the funeral sector has not escaped corruption. Over the past three years, so-called "body hunters" have become more active in the country, with the first victims being the families of the deceased, Le Monde reports.

How the Shadow Funeral Business Works

An employee of the Ukrainian funeral agency "Anubis" told journalists that his boss constantly reminds his subordinates that when someone dies, they must be on the scene before their competitors. He shared that during Russian shelling, they are instructed to arrive as quickly as possible to offer their services to grieving families.

"I give them my business card and say that I can help them if they want," the funeral agency employee said in a conversation with journalists.

He noted that sometimes employees from different funeral agencies, if they arrive at the scene of a shelling at the same time, engage in disputes.

"Some of them publicly slander us, saying that we are too expensive, and offer the same services at a lower price. But we remain the leaders in Odesa," the funeral agency employee stated.

According to him, competition in this field is quite fierce. He admitted that the company has informal agreements with the police, hospitals, and morgues, which first alert its employees about a death in exchange for financial rewards.

"This is not corruption; it’s called buying information. It’s a chaotic market where everyone takes what they can. If I don’t approve of these methods, my plate will remain empty," the funeral agency employee assured.

The manager of the coordination platform "Together Against Corruption," Mykhailo Serebryakov, told journalists that he is well acquainted with these practices. According to him, funeral agencies began to operate this way even before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

"Sometimes, employees of funeral agencies arrive at the scene before medical services or police, after being paid a certain amount of money," Serebryakov shared.

Since the Beginning of the Full-Scale War, Service Costs Have Increased Sharply

The publication noted that the turnover of the funeral services market in Ukraine exceeds 2.1 billion hryvnias per year and includes more than 3,000 companies, most of which are private. Additionally, employees of these companies often receive commissions, which motivates them to act even more actively.

An employee of the funeral agency "Anubis" stated in a conversation with journalists that he receives 11% of the amount paid by the families of the deceased for each funeral. According to him, in the summer of 2024, he earned about $3,000, while the average monthly income ranges from $1,000 to $1,500.

The employee of the funeral agency "Anubis" also told journalists that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, prices for funeral services have risen sharply. He shared that before February 2022, funerals cost an average of $200, but now they range from $500 to $1,000, with the most luxurious funerals costing up to $10,000.

How Much Informants Are Paid

A paramedic from Odesa, who condemns such working methods, told journalists that the amounts paid by funeral agencies to their informants depend on their profile. According to him, for each registered deceased, companies pay between $70 and $120.

The paramedic also added that previously his colleagues independently notified funeral agencies about emergencies for a reward, but now they are required to pass this information to the head office, which then calls the funeral agency for a reward.

"We have an informal agreement with Anubis. One employee has already been fired for calling the funeral agency himself instead of notifying the head office," he said.

Funerals of Fallen Soldiers

An employee of "Anubis" noted that civilian funerals are particularly susceptible to ritual corruption. According to him, funerals of fallen soldiers are more strictly regulated.

Moreover, according to the funeral agency employee, the costs of military funerals are covered by local authorities, which provide families with a coffin, cross, and transportation of the body for free, averaging 15,000 hryvnias.

"Between us, this is called the 'package for the poor,' but many families take it. Those who want additional services pay out of their own pockets," the "Anubis" employee told journalists.

The publication noted that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, cases of ritual corruption were recorded even more frequently. Journalists shared that regional military recruitment centers were involved in these schemes, notifying the families of fallen soldiers and offering to organize funerals, often forcing them to choose private funeral agencies with which they had agreements.

"This was a widespread phenomenon. We raised this issue. Now it happens less often, but facts of corruption involving municipal officials pressuring families of soldiers to choose certain private companies still occur," said Mykola Storozhuk, deputy head of the organization Veterans Hub Odesa, to journalists.

Unjustified Autopsies

Journalists reported that they reviewed the 2022 anti-corruption action plan prepared by the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, which states that corruption in the funeral sector remains one of the most important and complex problems in the development of territorial communities. The document emphasizes that secret agreements made by funeral agencies with law enforcement representatives and medical personnel have already become commonplace but represent a violation of the rights of the families of the deceased.

The action plan highlights key issues of corruption in the funeral sector. In particular, the document mentions violations by morgue employees who conduct unjustified autopsies to force families of the deceased to pay for imposed services. In some cases, families are forced to pay to avoid an autopsy.

"According to our data, these practices continue to this day. Funeral agencies also inflate their prices for services to families, assessing their appearance. The wealthier they look, the higher the price," Mykhailo Serebryakov stated.

How Ukrainian Officials Profit from the Funerals of Fallen Soldiers

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian officials profit from the funerals of fallen soldiers. In particular, in the spring of 2023, the director of a funeral agency in Poltava and a local administration employee met at the city cemetery to agree in cash on the transportation of 23 fallen soldiers. According to the prosecutor's office, the official agreed to give the funeral agency director a contract for transporting bodies from the morgue in Dnipro in exchange for a quarter of the amount that the city council would pay.

Journalists noted that police officers, rescuers, and medics regularly receive money from funeral agencies for "tips" about upcoming or recently occurred deaths. Even fallen soldiers become a source of income for corrupt officials.

Journalists also found out that some funeral agencies pay for obtaining large contracts for transporting and burying the bodies of soldiers. Law enforcement officials told journalists that agencies inflate prices for coffins and tombstones for soldiers, and share the difference with officials.