Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 13-15, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science has revised the distribution rules for state-funded places among quota applicants. Unfilled spots originally designated for applicants for targeted training, orphans and disabled individuals will now be reallocated to a separate quota for war participants, their families and the children of medical workers who died during the Covid-19 pandemic, rather than reverting to the general applicant pool. The independent media outlet Agentstvo [Agency] calculated that if this new enrollment order had applied in 2025, the number of spots available to war participants and their relatives would have surged from roughly 50,000 to 118,800. This figure would have represented nearly one in four of the...
Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 11-13, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
Nearly 45 percent of the decrees Vladimir Putin signed in 2025 remain classified; authorities withheld 449 of the 1,010 documents. While the share of secret orders rose 3.4 percentage points from 2024—when the state withheld 465 of 1,132 decrees—it remains below the highs of 2022 and 2023. In those years, classified files accounted for 45 percent and 49.5 percent of the total, respectively.
Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 7-11, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
In the Irkutsk region, authorities more than doubled the sign-up bonus for military contracts in January, increasing it from 1 million rubles [$12,600] set in March 2025 to 2.4 million rubles [$30,300]. The federal government pays an additional 400,000 rubles [$5,040], and advertisements distributed by regional officials now promise contract soldiers salaries of 5.32 million rubles [$67,100] for the first year of service. As of summer 2025, the region ranked last in the Siberian Federal District for recruiting volunteer fighters, while authorities had to cut healthcare spending to address a budget deficit.
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 25-28, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, announced that approximately 417,000 people signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces this year, and more than 36,000 joined "volunteer units." Separately, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov previously reported that the military recruited nearly 410,000 personnel for contract military service in 2025. Infographics presented at a board meeting of the Ministry of Defense set the annual plan at 403,000 and the "benchmark" at 420,000. For comparison, federal budget data indicate that between 374,200 and 407,200 individuals signed contracts in 2024, up from 345,400 in 2023.
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 23-25, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities in the Saratov region will increase the bonus for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense to 1 million rubles [$12,800] starting Jan. 1, 2026. In late October, regional officials slashed the benefit nearly fivefold, reducing it from 2.2 million to 450,000 rubles [$27,600 to $5,650]. Six other regions in the Volga Federal District took similar cost-cutting steps. More recently, however, authorities in the Mari El Republic, like those in the Orenburg region, announced plans to raise the sign-up bonus on Jan. 1, 2026, this time to 2.1 million rubles [$26,900].
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 21-23, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Sergey Novikov, head of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects, stated that 167,000 war participants had "returned to civilian life," adding that "several times more will return" should victory arrive tomorrow. In June, Novikov estimated the number of returnees at 137,000. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin stated last week that 700,000 people were currently in the "special military operation zone."
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 18-21, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, authorities in Russia's Mari El Republic will begin paying 2.1 million rubles [$26,100] for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. The republic was one of seven regions in the Volga Federal District that had lowered the sign-up bonus in October to the minimum allowable sum of 400,000 rubles [$4,970]. In Bashkortostan, authorities similarly decreased the payment to 500,000 rubles [$6,210] in early December. Before October, authorities in Mari El paid 2.6 million rubles [$32,300], while federal authorities provided an additional 400,000 rubles [$4,970] upon enlisting.
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 16-18, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced that the military recruited nearly 410,000 people for contract military service in 2025. Infographics shown during the expanded board meeting of the Ministry of Defense set the annual plan at 403,000 and the "benchmark" at 420,000. This aligns with recruitment figures Dmitry Medvedev [Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council] previously reported. However, the Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] analyzed federal budget expenditures and found that only 262,700 people—fewer than 30,000 per month—received a sign-up bonus for enlisting during the first three quarters of 2025. Economist Janis Kluge estimated that approximately 290,000 people, or about...
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 14-16, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Vladimir Putin signed legislation extending the requirement for Russian men of conscription age to notify draft offices of any move exceeding three months, regardless of the time of year. The law removes the phrase "during the conscription period" from Article 21.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which governs "failure by citizens to perform military registration duties." The relevant penalty—a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 rubles [$125-$250]—previously applied only during the regular spring and autumn conscription campaigns. That limitation, however, will cease to exist next year following the enactment of legislation establishing year-round conscription activities.
Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 11-14, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Nastoyashcheye Vremya [Current Time, an editorially independent US-funded Russian language media outlet] reports that legislative changes now require male foreigners applying for residence permits or citizenship to submit a service contract with the Russian army or the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or a certificate of unfitness from a draft office. This applies to individuals applying for family reunification, those who have already resided in Russia for a long time, and applicants on certain other grounds. Students, highly qualified specialists, participants in the compatriot resettlement program, and citizens of Belarus remain exempt. Nationals of Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova are also exempt, but only for residence permits...