Court awards 750,000 rubles for monument to fallen soldier

The mother of a deceased participant in the special military operation, a recipient of the Order of Courage, won a court case against a funeral agency, recovering 750,000 rubles (approximately $10,000 at current rates) for breach of contract to install a monument. The Volgograd Region Prosecutor«s Office, representing the woman»s interests, clarified that the amount included a refund of a 150,000-ruble advance (about $2,000) and compensation for moral damages.

The order for the memorial complex was placed in September 2024 through the funeral agency «Black Tulip» with individual entrepreneur Sobolevskaya in Mikhaylovka. The customer transferred an advance of 150,000 rubles (about $2,000), and the completion of work was scheduled for the end of November of the same year.

However, the entrepreneur did not install the monument by the agreed deadline and did not return the funds. The lawsuit was filed in October 2025, and after three court hearings, the Mikhaylovsky District Court issued a default judgment in favor of the plaintiff.

When attempting to contact the «Black Tulip» agency, a journalist was told that he had «reached the wrong place,» and on a second call, they advised to clarify details with the applicant herself and ended the conversation.

A similar case previously occurred in Kotelnikovo, Volgograd Region, where relatives of the deceased ordered a granite monument for 600,000 rubles (approximately $8,000) with installation by Easter, but it was never delivered, and the money was not returned.