Mobilization in Russia for April 10-13, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Seeking to criminalize the desecration of military graves and memorials, the Russian government has introduced a bill to the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly] that would amend the title and opening clause of the article on "the destruction or damage of military burial sites, monuments, steles, obelisks and other memorial structures honoring those who died defending the homeland or its interests," by explicitly adding the term "desecration." The amended article sets a maximum sentence of five years in prison. In the explanatory note, the bill’s authors claim that authorities have documented more than 370 "high-profile incidents of desecration" involving military graves and memorials since February 2022. The Sever.Realii news outlet [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] has reported on how burial sites of those who fought in the war with Ukraine have been defaced across Russia, identifying at least 55 such cases.
Russia’s Supreme Court has ruled that a parent of a fallen soldier cannot claim a death gratuity if that parent does not participate in the child’s upbringing or pay child support. The ruling stems from the case of soldier Ilya Shevchenko, who was mobilized in 2022 and was killed in the spring of 2023. His mother, Tatyana Larinina, asked the court to exclude her ex-husband from the list of death gratuity recipients. She argued that he stopped raising their son long ago, showed no interest in his health or education, ignored his birthdays, abused alcohol and even committed acts of violence against Ilya. She also noted that he had not paid child support since 2010, accumulating arrears of more than 600,000 rubles [$7,150]. District, regional and cassation courts denied Larinina’s claim, pointing out that the father had not lost his parental rights in any formal proceeding. However, the Supreme Court overruled them, emphasizing that this payment represents more than a social benefit—it is "a gesture of gratitude to parents for raising a defender of the Fatherland." The court concluded that a father who did not fulfill his parental responsibilities has no claim to such compensation.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
The Vyorstka media outlet reports an increase in the number of volunteer fighters seeking to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow. Citing closed statistical data from the Unified Recruitment Center, the outlet found that in the first ten days of April, around 1,000 people in the capital signed contracts with the MoD—twice as many as during the same periods in January, February and March. Since the beginning of the year, over 6,400 people from Moscow have been sent to the war. The surge in interest in contract military service reportedly began after news emerged that Russia had regained control over previously lost territory in the Kursk region during the Ukrainian offensive, as well as amid discussions about a possible end to the war. In response, Moscow authorities plan to ramp up street-level recruitment campaigns to attract more contract soldiers. New recruitment points opened on several metro stations on April 1. It is worth noting that following the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region, Vyorstka reported a twofold increase in the number of people looking to sign contracts with the MoD in Moscow—from about 100 per day to 200-250 per day. By January, the outlet noted that the number of recruits had dropped to just 40 per day. This means that interest in contract military service in Moscow has now returned to the level seen in the summer of 2024—before the AFU launched its offensive in the Kursk region.
According to The Guardian, Russian propaganda is actively using Chinese social media platforms to promote contract military service in the Russian Armed Forces to Chinese citizens. Popular videos emphasize the "coolness" of military service, along with its financial benefits and bonuses, and the content is accompanied by Chinese subtitles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously claimed that at least 155 Chinese nationals are already fighting on Russia’s side. Reuters has reported that around 200 Chinese citizens are fighting for Russia as mercenaries, while Beijing-approved officers are studying warfare tactics from Russian backline bases. The independent Russian outlet Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories] has identified 51 Chinese nationals who visited contract military service recruitment facilities in Moscow. The outlet obtained data covering the recruitment period from June 2023 to May 2024. At least one recruited man was killed in December 2023, and several others have reportedly been wounded on the frontline. Some of these volunteer fighters return to China after completing a one-year contract.
In Saratov, law enforcement officers conducted a raid to locate violators of migration laws and those evading military registration. More than 100 men were checked, and 25 percent were found to be naturalized citizens who had failed to register for military service after obtaining Russian passports. All of them were summoned to a draft office.
The Military Court of the Second Western District has not released General Ivan Popov, who is accused of fraud. He will remain in pre-trial detention and will not return to the frontline. The reasons for the court’s decision have not been disclosed. Previous reports indicated that the MoD had supported Popov's petition to be redeployed.
In Russia’s constituent Republic of Dagestan, officials from Khunzakhsky district administration met with the district's military commissar, Lieutenant Ali Omarov. During the meeting, Omarov addressed the district’s problems in recruiting contract soldiers. According to him, some localities had not produced a single recruit in January and February. The district also struggled to meet its centrally assigned quota in March, and no one was sent to the war in April.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Based on open sources, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] and BBC News Russian, together with volunteers, have verified the names of 101,833 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 11,784 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 1,882 soldiers, 156 of whom were mobilized.
The family of 36-year-old soldier Andrey from the Leningrad region claims he was declared AWOL to avoid paying him. According to his sister, Andrey was mobilized in 2022. After being wounded, he was granted leave but was later declared wanted for allegedly abandoning his unit. He was detained and, while in custody, signed a new contract in January 2024 and was sent back to the frontlines. On March 24, his mother was informed that he had gone missing on March 6. Some time later, his status was changed from "missing in action" to AWOL, although his sister is convinced he was killed—reportedly, fellow soldiers informed her of his death. She says that around 15 other soldiers from his unit have faced similar situations. According to her, the command of the 51st Army ordered missing soldiers to be declared deserters in order to "cut costs."
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
Ruslan Safin, a 37-year-old war veteran who served in the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, has been arrested for a double murder in Stary Oskol. According to the Astra Telegram channel, the victims were 35-year-old furniture maker Vladimir Zakhary and his 44-year-old partner, Nadezhda Logachyova, who worked at a local hotel. Their bodies, bearing multiple stab wounds, were discovered on April 10. The motive for the crime remains unknown. A criminal case has been opened against Safin for the murder of two or more people.
A court in Mogocha has suspended the case against Sanan Guseynov, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife, as he has not been located since fleeing his unit after signing a contract with the MoD.
In the village of Koksharovka in the Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], a drunken war veteran first threatened a female postal worker with violence, and later that evening attacked his neighbors with an axe. Although the police detained him, local media report that he is "likely to be released."
In Artyom, a city in the Primorsky region, four war participants have been accused of assaulting a passerby "for not taking part in combat." According to a witness, the intoxicated men attacked him shouting: "We fought, and you hide like rats!" The victim, the witness noted, was merely walking by and had not provoked the conflict.
Radik Bogdanov, a former fighter of the Storm-Z unit who joined the AFU and returned to Russia following a prisoner of war exchange, has been charged with treason and attempted murder. He was initially charged under the article on participation in an armed conflict against Russia’s interests, but the charges were later reclassified. Bogdanov was recruited for the war from a Russian penal colony, where he had been serving a sentence for theft. In the summer of 2023, while in Donbas, he surrendered to Ukrainian captivity and later fought on Ukraine’s side as part of the Skala [Rock] battalion. In January 2024, Bogdanov ended up in Russia in a POW exchange. Upon his return, he was checked by officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Center for Countering Extremism, who discovered that he had served in the AFU.
The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Garrison Military Court has begun hearing the first criminal case on voluntarily surrendering to captivity. The defendant is Roman Ivanishin, a mobilized miner from the Sakhalin region. According to investigators, Ivanishin attempted to surrender to the AFU twice, succeeding on one occasion. In a video recorded in captivity, Ivanishin expressed opposition to the war. His case had previously been bounced between courts, each refusing to hear his case. During the newly launched trial, the prosecution requested a 16-year sentence in a maximum security penal colony under articles related to desertion and attempted voluntary surrender to captivity.
In Saint Petersburg, on April 12, police detained a 27-year-old resident of Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic] who was on the federal wanted list for violating the terms of a recognizance bond in a criminal case related to going AWOL.
According to the Barents Observer, over 800 military personnel from northern regions of Russia have been convicted of offenses including going AWOL, desertion and feigning illness since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The Baza Telegram channel reports that a 44-year-old citizen of Kazakhstan has been detained on suspicion of arson targeting four cell phone towers. He allegedly received instructions via Telegram from an unknown source. A case of sabotage has been initiated against the detainee. Additionally, two relay cabinets were set on fire on the evening of April 12 near the Ligovo station in the Leningrad region.
In Arkhangelsk, a man born in 2003 was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to four police cars parked near a police station. The incident occurred on the evening of April 12, and the arsonist was apprehended the same day. He is facing charges of terrorist attack and has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months. He pleaded guilty, stating he was influenced by phone scammers. According to the Baza Telegram channel, the detainee is described as an "activist of the student council of the Higher School of Economics," while the Arkhangelsk publication 29.RU reports he is a second-year student at the Northern Arctic Federal University.
Another arson incident occurred on April 12 at a shopping center in the town of Nakhabino in the Moscow region. Reportedly, a schoolboy committed the act after being promised 250,000 rubles [$2,980] by scammers.
A military court has sentenced 15-year-old Yegor Shaposhnikov to five years in a juvenile penal colony on charges of preparing a terrorist attack, undergoing training to carry out terrorist activities and participating in a terrorist organization. Shaposhnikov was detained in November 2023.
In Tatarstan, 43-year-old Dmitry Isakov, a man with a third-degree disability, was detained for allegedly joining the ranks of the Freedom of Russia Legion in December 2024. He reportedly left insulting inscriptions targeting Kadyrov following the instructions of his handlers. A criminal case has been opened against Dmitry for participation in a "terrorist" organization.
A court has sentenced a 17-year-old resident of the Oryol region to seven and a half years in a juvenile penal colony on charges of treason. The teenager was detained in February 2024 for setting fire to a relay cabinet on the Oryol–Stalnoy Kon railway section. Investigators claim that he and his acquaintance acted on the instructions from handlers. The accused had previously been convicted of sabotage, and the new sentence was handed down based on the combined charges.
Ukrainian prisoner of war Kostiantyn Tolstikov has been sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of committing an act of terror. According to investigators, in August of last year, Tolstikov illegally crossed into Russia’s Kursk region, where he allegedly installed surveillance equipment in the village of Lyubimovka to monitor Russian military forces. Armed with an AK-74 assault rifle, he allegedly threatened local residents. Tolstikov was captured on Sept. 16 of last year.
Children and Educational System
Second-grade students in Dagestan drew 25 portraits of Abdulaiz Shikhabidov, commander of the 76th Airborne Division, as part of an extracurricular activity titled "Our Defender: Portrait of a Hero." The school shared details of the lesson on its social media pages.
Miscellaneous
In 2024, the Albatros company—manufacturer of Shahed-136 (Geran-2) loitering munitions—earned over 955 million rubles [$11.38 million], marking a 61% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, the company’s net profit surged by 4,350%.
Longreads
SOTAvision shares the stories of refugees from the Kursk region who were issued housing purchase certificates but are now being forced to give up their land plots in border areas.