Russia is charging families of dead soldiers $1,500 to get their bodies back, human-rights group claims
Russia is charging families of dead soldiers $1,500 to get their bodies back, human-rights group claims

Russia is charging families of dead soldiers $1,500 to get their bodies back, human-rights group claims

Pretty sure the military needs this too, just to keep it funded.
You say that like the military would see a single red ruble of that payment rather than it going straight into the commander's rainy day fund. He had to go and get Conscriptovich killed in the first place, that's hard work and deserves compensation.
They are charging half a year's income, by the way. Not just "charging money", but charging so much that no one can afford it without becoming homeless.
A coup is extremely unlikely, and here's why. The ruzzian army is mostly a collection of private armies funded and heavily influenced by oligarchs. These oligarchs manage to get along with eachother to cooperate on a battlefield under higher instruction, but there is still bickering, backbiting and bullshit behind the scenes.
A coup would require the majority of the army's oligarchs to get along with eachother, trust eachother and coordinate with eachother. Imagine Italian mafias from the 1960's and how difficult that would be to accomplish. That's about how childish, skittish and unintelligent these guys are and why a coordinated coup is not likely.
The good news is, though, a temper tantrum by one oligarch could get pootin killed. That is not off the table on any given week. Cross your fingers.
Helps keep them massage the causalty numbers if they don't have to return all the bodies ...