Mobilization in Russia for April 21-23, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Lawmakers in the State Duma [lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly] introduced a bill expanding the practice of writing off debts for war participants and their families. Currently, the benefit applies only to debts up to 10 million rubles [$133,300] for which enforcement proceedings began before Dec. 1, 2024, provided the individual enlists for over a year after that date. The draft bill would allow debts of the same amount to be written off for those who enlist on or after May 1, provided that debt enforcement proceedings begin before May 2026. The proposed rules would also retain the option to write off debts for spouses of war participants. An earlier Supreme Court ruling exempts a soldier's family from repaying loans if the soldier dies in the war, even if the loan agreement was signed before the start of the "special military operation."
Lawmakers also introduced a bill in parliament that would grant draft deferrals to the sons and brothers of military personnel and volunteer fighters who died while serving during mobilization, martial law or wartime. Although current legislation grants exemptions to these relatives of conscripts who died in connection with their duties, the mobilization law lacks a direct provision, leaving the family members of killed combatants vulnerable to the draft.
Army Recruitment
The Ministry of Education of the Kemerovo region has commented on reported cases of pressure on students to sign military contracts. Earlier, an audio recording surfaced in which a teacher at the Anzhero-Sudzhensk Polytechnic College threatened an expelled student with being sent to the frontline as "cannon fodder." In another case, an 18-year-old student at a pedagogical college was urged to sign a contract allegedly due to impending expulsion over poor academic performance and outstanding coursework; this was described as a "guidance conversation" in which his "prospects were explained." In response to journalists’ inquiries, the ministry stated that "informing students and holding meetings with veterans of the special military operation is part of patriotic education." At the same time, new evidence of pressure on students at the Anzhero-Sudzhensk college has been published. In one recording, a deputy head and deputy director tell a student and his mother that if he is expelled, he will have no chance of reinstatement and, without an education, "he won’t even be hired as a janitor." However, if he becomes a UAV operator, he would supposedly gain "an additional profession," and after a one-year contract all his academic debts would be cleared, allowing him to return directly to the fourth year of study.
In educational institutions across Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic], students are being surveyed (1, 2, 3, 4) about their attitudes toward the military and their willingness to sign contracts for military service. Among other things, they are asked whether they would consider serving in unmanned units and what conditions might persuade them to enlist.
At the International Institute of Design and Service in the city of Chelyabinsk, a recruitment meeting was held to promote contract military service. Students were told that the session was "purely informational," yet they were shown two "motivational" videos featuring gunfire and drones dropping munitions on soldiers.
A court has suspended criminal proceedings against Aleksandr Aniskov, who was accused in a case involving torture and sexualized violence at Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 6 in Angarsk, after he signed a contract with the MoD, and has released him from custody. Aniskov, previously an inmate "activist," had earlier been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Two of his accomplices—fellow inmate Vladimir Reshchikov and penal colony employee Dmitry Baroyan—were sentenced to five and six years, respectively, on charges of sexual violence; Baroyan was also convicted of abuse of office. According to investigators, following a riot at Penal Colony No. 15 in Angarsk in 2020, inmates transferred to Detention Center No. 6 were beaten, tortured with stun guns and subjected to gang rape in order to extract confessions. Of the eight defendants in the case, six have since gone to war—five of them signing contracts before their verdicts were handed down.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
Based on data from the Supreme Court, the outlet Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] reported that from 2022 through April 2026, the number of servicemen who went AWOL or deserted and were subsequently charged with murder increased 86-fold. During this period, military courts considered cases against 144 individuals: one in 2022, six in 2023, 26 in 2024, and 86 in 2025, with at least 25 more cases under consideration in 2026. Most commonly, defendants were charged with going AWOL in combination with murder or with inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in death; 94 people have been convicted on these charges. In total, verdicts have been issued in 105 cases, although such rulings are typically not made publicly available.
The Barnaul Garrison Military Court sentenced contract soldier Aleksandr Shipilov to one and a half years of corrective labor on charges of negligent homicide, then released him in the courtroom, as he had already been held in pretrial detention from February to December 2025. According to the court, in July 2024, during an argument, Shipilov struck his mother in the face with his hand, causing her to fall, hit her head and later die in the hospital. The case was initially opened under the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm resulting in death but was later reclassified to a lesser offense. Shipilov denied guilt, claiming that his wife had assaulted his mother, but the court found this testimony unreliable.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced captive Azov Brigade soldiers Artyom Shevchenko and Artyom Pustovar to 18 years in prison on charges of participating in a terrorist organization and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities. According to investigators, Shevchenko joined the Azov Brigade in January 2019 and served as a medic, while Pustovar joined in March 2021 and served as a tank operator. Both were taken prisoner in 2022.
The Dzerzhinsky district court of Perm sentenced Natalia and Ekaterina Degtyannikova to one and a half years of probation in a case involving the arson of a United Russia [Putin's ruling party] office. The court also granted the party's civil claim in the amount of 3.28 million rubles [$43,700], and the defendants pleaded guilty to all charges. According to investigators, on Oct. 23, 2024, the mother and daughter approached the building with Molotov cocktails and set fire to the office while filming the act. No one was injured in the fire. Following their arrest, the women claimed they had acted under the influence of scammers. The court initially placed them under house arrest but later released them, imposing a restraining order on certain activities.
The case of an 18-year-old resident of the Perm region [Russia's federal subject], accused of two counts of committing an act of terror as well as inciting terrorist activity, has been forwarded to court. According to investigators, an unknown person contacted the young man through a messaging app and offered him 5,000 rubles [$67] to set fire to a transformer box. On the evenings of March 4 and 5, 2025, the Perm resident, while still a minor, used a flammable mixture to set fire to a transformer substation in the Krasnokamsk district, leaving around 50 homes in a gardening cooperative without electricity. Additionally, from December 2024 through March 2025, the young man allegedly created a channel on a messaging app and invited three of his acquaintances to it, whom he was recruiting to carry out similar arson attacks.
In Moscow, the Federal Security Service (FSB) officers have detained a man born in 1981 on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. According to the FSB, the detainee initiated contact with the Ukrainian side and traveled to Moscow to set up an explosion near the MoD facilities. After completing the task, he allegedly planned to leave Russia and "go over to Ukraine's side," having been promised passage to Ukraine to join the war. A court ordered that he be held in a pre-trial detention center.
In the Krasnodar region, the FSB has detained a resident of Kanevskoy district born in 1999, suspected of preparing to participate in the activities of a terrorist organization. According to the FSB, the man was going to leave for Ukraine to join the war as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He allegedly initiated contact with the Ukrainian side via Telegram, received instructions from handlers and attempted to leave the country but was detained.
The Southern District Military Court has issued a verdict against Grigor Muradyan, Eldar Karmeev, Rafael Kirakosyan and Ivan Oancha on charges related to acts of terror and attempted terrorist attacks. Muradyan received a total sentence of 20 years, Karmeev was sentenced to 15 years, Kirakosyan and Oancha received 13 years each. According to investigators, in December 2023, they set fire to two transformer substations in the Pervomaysky district of Rostov-on-Don and were preparing to set fire to a node of the main oil pipeline of Chernomortransneft but did not carry out the plan. In January 2024, all four were detained and placed under administrative arrest for 10 days for alleged disobedience to police orders. In March 2024, the initiation of a criminal case was reported.
The First Eastern District Military Court sentenced a 39-year-old resident of the Amur Region to 18 years in prison on charges of treason, preparing sabotage and participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. According to investigators, in 2024 the man began corresponding with a "representative of a Ukrainian terrorist organization," received "knowledge and training in explosives and blasting operations" and acquired components for an improvised bomb. In October, after being contacted by handlers, he proposed blowing up a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between the Belogorsk and Ukraina stations in the Amur region. After carrying out the sabotage, he planned to leave for Ukraine and join the AFU. His detention became known in January 2025.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced 49-year-old Serhii Chumachenko from the settlement of Kyrylivka in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region to 26 years in prison on charges of two counts of attempted terrorist attack, two counts of possession of explosives, one count of manufacturing an explosive device, participation in a terrorist community and undergoing terrorist training. According to investigators, in January 2023, Chumachenko, who worked as a security guard and watchman at a recreation center, acted on instructions from an acquaintance "cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence." He allegedly "established the route and schedule of movements" of the occupation head of the "Kyrylivka rural settlement" and planted an improvised bomb near a kiosk, but it did not detonate. Later, on Aug. 1, 2023, Chumachenko parked a car loaded with explosives in a parking area near the entrance to the administration building and detonated it remotely, but again no explosion occurred. He and three other individuals were detained in connection with the case ten days later. In the summer of 2025, another defendant in the case was sentenced: Oleksii Popadeikin received 20 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of creating a cache of explosives.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, a man has been detained in a high treason case. According to the FSB, he received instructions via Telegram from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to install a camera on a railway viaduct and provide remote access to its feed. Investigators also allege that he photographed and filmed the residence of an employee of a defense company in exchange for payment. The court has ordered him held in pre‑trial detention.
The "Zaporizhzhia Regional Court," established by Russian authorities, has sentenced 66‑year‑old Larysa Beliaeva, a resident of the village of Liubymivka, to 14 years in a penal colony on charges of high treason. Investigators said the case was based on her purchase of 102 Ukrainian military bonds totaling 270,000 rubles [$3,600] through the Ukrainian government services app Diia [Action]. The court stated that she harbored "animosity toward the current Russian authorities."
Children and Militarization
In schools across the Komi Republic [Russia’s constituent republic], educators conducted so-called "Two-Minutes Denazification" sessions. Instructional materials distributed to schools openly framed the war with Ukraine as necessary, while a video shown during the sessions—depicting "Ukrainian Nazis" and calling for their killing—was sourced from content prepared by the Moscow mayor’s office.
Nearly one in ten schools and colleges in Moscow has already opened a "special military operation museum," according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. He said such museums are now operating in 175 secondary and vocational educational institutions.
In the Leningrad region, authorities are facing a shortfall of nearly 8.22 billion rubles [$110 million] to cover payments promised to those who sign contracts with the MoD, as stated by Vice Governor Roman Markov. An additional 235 million rubles [$3.13 million] is needed for payments to service members who have received state honors. Other items listed under what officials termed "additional needs" amount to roughly 14.7 billion rubles [$196 million], including funding for road maintenance, public utilities, rail transport and other expenditures. Since February, the region has been offering one-time payments of 2.15 million rubles [$28,700] to those who enlist, along with a land certificate valued at 450,000 rubles [$6,000]. Service members awarded state honors receive a bonus of 500,000 rubles [$6,660].
Authorities in the Chelyabinsk region have passed a law requiring companies with more than 100 employees to allocate at least 1 percent of jobs to veterans of the war in Ukraine; branches in other regions are not counted. A total of 1,356 organizations in the region will be required to report on hiring such veterans. A similar law has been adopted in Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic],where companies with 35 or more employees must meet a 1 percent quota.
At least 37 Russian regions, as well as Crimea and Sevastopol, have introduced quotas for hiring war veterans, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe. The highest requirement is in the Krasnodar region, where companies with more than 100 employees must ensure that at least 4 percent of their workforce consists of such veterans. In the Rostov and Tambov regions and in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), companies with more than 100 employees must hire at least 3 percent of returning contract soldiers. In nine regions, companies with as few as 35 employees are subject to hiring quotas. In all cases, the quotas apply to new hires returning from the war; employees who left to serve are not counted. Companies that fail to comply face fines.
Longreads
The Sibir.Realii, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, spoke with families of conscripts who said their relatives were pressured or deceived into signing military contracts.
The Azattyk Asia media outlet reports a rise in the number of citizens from Central Asian countries who voluntarily sign contracts to fight in Ukraine on Russia’s side. While forced recruitment was more common earlier in the war, financial incentives and the prospect of citizenship are now the main motivations.
Mediazona [independent Russian outlet], has published the full account of the "Kherson Nine," a case involving 10 Ukrainians who were held for months in a torture basement. In January, nine of them were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years on terrorism charges. The tenth detainee died in 2022 after weeks of severe torture.