AI Now Use to “Resurrect” Loved Ones Killed in Ukraine War  

 Russian families are using artificial intelligence (AI) to create emotional videos and images that appear to bring back relatives killed or missing in the war in Ukraine, in a growing trend that is raising ethical concerns and dividing opinion online.

One widely shared 15-second AI-generated video posted on Instagram by blogger Katya Jin shows a snowy Moscow street filled with billboards celebrating what it calls the end of the war. One billboard reads: “The Special Military Operation is over” and “Our heroes are coming home.” In the clip, a woman pushing a stroller turns and embraces a man in military uniform in a tearful reunion. The pair are believed to resemble the blogger and her husband.

In reality, her husband, like many Russian soldiers, went missing at the front in Ukraine, and his fate remains unknown.

Since mid-2025, AI-generated photos and videos of Russian soldiers have spread rapidly across social media. Most are shared by relatives of servicemen and depict soldiers as heroes returning home, protecting their families, or watching over them from the afterlife.

Ukraine and the destruction caused by Russia’s invasion are largely absent from these portrayals. Instead, the clips often follow a repeating emotional script: soldiers in uniform reunite with loved ones, walk into bright skies, or appear as angels.

The videos have sparked sharply divided reactions. Some viewers say they find comfort in them and are moved to tears. Others, particularly Ukrainians, say the content is deeply offensive and misleading, as it ignores the suffering caused by the war.

Experts say the trend is part of a growing “digital afterlife” industry, where AI is used to recreate or simulate deceased people. Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska of the University of Cambridge says the technology raises difficult ethical and psychological questions, especially in wartime.

BBC Russian contacted Katya Jin for comment, but she did not respond. Shortly after the report was published, she removed her AI-generated videos from Instagram and TikTok. Before that, she had built a large online following and even shared tutorials showing others how to create similar content.

Many users reportedly request AI videos of deceased relatives, including soldiers killed in Ukraine. Clients provide photographs, which are then turned into cinematic scenes showing emotional reunions, symbolic farewells, or angelic imagery.

Another creator, Anna Korableva, said her “Farewell video” project is designed to help grieving families cope with “unfinished goodbyes.” She said the work is emotionally intense, especially at the beginning, but she has learned to focus on the technical side.

However, critics argue that the practice commercialises grief. In Russia, AI-generated memorial videos cost between 200 and 10,000 roubles, depending on quality. Some creators reportedly earn thousands of roubles monthly, with one saying she makes up to 200,000 roubles.

The quality of the videos varies, with some appearing realistic and others showing distorted or unnatural AI-generated figures.

While some families say the videos help them feel close to lost loved ones, others say the effect is only temporary and does not ease their pain. One woman described it as “an illusion” that cannot replace real loss.

Despite criticism, the use of AI in grief and memory continues to grow, reflecting a wider global trend in “digital afterlife” technology that experts say is still not fully understood—especially in the context of war, loss, and political tension.

Source: BBC