Mobilization in Russia for April 27-29, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and LegislationÂ
A bill to grant additional allowances to the children of soldiers fighting in the war against Ukraine reached the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly], brought forward by lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia [right-wing populist and ultranationalist political party] and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The bill’s authors call for three annual payments while combat is taking place—on International Children’s Day, at the start of the school year, and ahead of New Year’s Eve—with the government responsible for setting the amounts if the bill passes. The draft would also add a salary bonus for service members: an extra 10% for those with one child, 15% for two children, 20% for three, and 30% for four or more. The government declined to endorse the proposal.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense drafted a decree that would grant service members and their families one free round trip each year by rail, air, water or road, if they take part in the "special military operation," but were previously stationed in hard-to-reach regions, including the Far Northern areas of the Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts. The measure would stay in effect for one year after the war ends.
The Ministry of Defense also proposed amending the law "On the Status of Service Members" to let military personnel claim free housing or housing subsidies after already receiving that support as dependents of other service members. The ministry noted that more than 48,000 individuals are still waiting for the benefit.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
At draft offices in Saint Petersburg, brochures are being handed out offering "alternative contract-based military service." The advertisement promises benefits and service close to home. One such leaflet was given to a school student, according to the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel. The project emphasizes that no "alternative service" format exists when signing a contract.
Roundups of conscription-age men have begun in Moscow. The Vyorstka media outlet and the human rights organization Shkola Prizyvnika [Conscript School] have prepared a guide for young men of conscription age, explaining how to protect themselves from roundups during the regular conscription period.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Sergey Kulikov, a mobilized soldier and father of five from Russia’s Sakhalin region, fled his unit after being tortured and wounded, received a suspended sentence, but is now again being forced back to the frontline. In October 2022, he was mobilized without a medical evaluation board and sent for training with the 39th Motor Rifle Brigade, before being deployed to the frontline in January 2023. In February 2024, Kulikov was hospitalized, but after a month of treatment, he was sent back to forward positions. In July 2024, he was wounded again, received no medical care, and was assaulted by his commander. Kulikov documented signs of the assault and recorded a video address, then left the combat zone. With help from fellow soldiers, he contacted his wife, recorded additional video addresses, and was assisted in reaching the city of Donetsk. On Aug. 5, his wife flew to meet him, brought his passport, and the couple returned to Sakhalin. Twelve days later, Kulikov voluntarily reported himself to the Investigative Committee. He was convicted of going AWOL and given a four-year suspended sentence with two years of probation. According to Kulikov, in February 2025 he was read an order to return to the same unit at the frontline. He refused, and a new criminal case was opened against him — this time for disobeying an order. The man stated that he repeatedly appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Committee to be transferred to another unit.
On April 21, in the Rostov region, law enforcement officers detained three unarmed men in military uniforms on the highway between Sambek and Matveyev Kurgan villages. They were identified as 23-year-old Aleksey M., 24-year-old Ignatiy B. and 38-year-old Vladimir S. from the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who had fled from their military unit on April 18, citing fear for their lives. The servicemen were handed over to border guards, and their further fate remains unknown.
The sister of Vitaly Morozov, a 27-year-old serviceman from Ussuriysk, Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], has recorded a video address to Vladimir Putin, requesting intervention in her brother's situation. According to the woman, her brother was sent to the frontline in violation of federal law, which allows for discharge on family circumstances. Morozov signed a one-year contract with the MoD in May 2024. During his participation in the war, Morozov sustained severe injuries twice and was transferred back to Ussuriysk for treatment. During this time, his wife passed away, leaving him as the sole guardian of their seven-year-old son. After Morozov was discharged from the hospital, he was assigned to a military unit in Ussuriysk, where he was threatened that he could face prosecution for drug-related charges if he refused to deploy to the combat zone. Later, Morozov reported that he and other men were given tickets to Rostov-on-Don and taken to the airport "for further transfer to the frontline."
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In the Volgograd region, a war veteran attacked an acquaintance with a knife. The incident occurred in the city of Frolovo, where a man was hospitalized with a stab wound to the chest and a head injury. The suspect, 34-year-old Aleksey Aleksandrov, a serviceman with the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment, was reportedly on leave at the time of his arrest.
Another war veteran caused a drunken disturbance on a train traveling from Moscow to Kislovodsk. He allegedly seized and threw away a passenger’s tablet, attempted to start a fight, and threatened to kill the train attendants. The man was eventually removed from the train.
Meanwhile, Maksim Solodushkin, a serviceman from Irkutsk, was found guilty of extorting money from a conscript and was fined 200,000 rubles [$2,420]. According to investigators, Solodushkin told the conscript he could help arrange a contract with the Ministry of Defense and secure him a position in his unit in exchange for a payment of 100,000 rubles [$1,210]. The conscript initially agreed but later contacted law enforcement. In cooperation with officers, he transferred 50,000 rubles [$610] to Solodushkin, after which a criminal case was opened.
In 2025, Russian soldiers were prosecuted for theft twice as frequently, according to the Mozhem Ob'yasnit [We Can Explain] Telegram channel. In the first quarter of 2024, 20-23 cases of theft were simultaneously under consideration in the courts. However, in January-March 2025, the number of such cases increased sharply. In January, 42 cases were under consideration, rising to 55 by March. In 20% of the cases, charges of theft were accompanied by charges of going AWOL or desertion. Most soldiers accused of theft receive fines. Actual prison sentences are handed down only in the presence of aggravating circumstances or when combined with convictions for other crimes. At the same time, courts frequently consider the presence of minor children and participation in the war as mitigating factors. According to the analysis, soldiers most often steal construction tools and personal belongings from acquaintances.
The Volgograd Regional Court has sentenced two 19-year-old technical college students from Volzhsky in a sabotage case. Yevgeny Kadykov was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony, while Maksim Zubarev, who was also accused of transferring two cryptocurrency payments of 30,000 rubles [$360] each received for arson attacks, was sentenced to 13 years and six months in a penal colony. According to investigators, in June 2024, the students set fire twice to a VimpelCom cell tower on the instructions of a "representative of the Ukrainian intelligence services." They were also accused of preparing an arson attack at a railway station. According to lawyer Aleksandr Serebrennikov, who spoke to V1.ru, the young men pleaded guilty and do not intend to appeal the verdict.
The Krasnodar Regional Court sentenced 35-year-old Anatoly Yansitov, a native of Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic], to ten and a half years in prison for sabotage. According to investigators, in May 2024, "driven by the idea of undermining the economic security and defense capability of the Russian Federation," Yansitov, acting on instructions from a "handler," set fire to a relay cabinet in the Krasnodar region. The equipment was destroyed, with damages assessed at 452,000 rubles [$5,470]. His detention by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers was reported in May 2024. Subsequently, the agency stated that the man, being an opponent of the war in Ukraine, committed the arson "voluntarily and without reward."
The First Eastern District Military Court sentenced 24-year-old electrician from Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous region, Aleksey Kelner, to 18 years in prison for charges related to training for terrorism, high treason, and preparing an act of sabotage and an act of terror. Kelner was detained on May 8, 2024, accused of planning a "terrorist attack" on Victory Day by setting fire to a contract military service recruitment facility located in an apartment building. In September, the FSB reported Kelner’s detention again, this time stating that he was also conducting reconnaissance for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and planning to set fire to relay cabinets on the railway. The young man’s mother told journalists from the outlet that her son was tortured with a stun gun during his detention.
The District Military Court sentenced 35-year-old Udmurtia [Russia's constituent republic] resident Pavel Lekomtsev to 18 years in prison on charges of treason, preparing an act of terror, participating in a terrorist organization, and preparing to illegally manufacture an explosive device. According to the FSB, the man was planning an assassination attempt on the head of an unnamed defense industry enterprise. It is alleged that after the explosion, he was planning to "leave for Ukraine via third countries" to take part in combat operations against the Russian Armed Forces. The man was arrested in November 2023 in Izhevsk. The FSB reported that law enforcement officers found "components for making a homemade explosive device" and a phone "containing correspondence with Ukrainian militants" on him. On camera, he said that had filled out an application to the Freedom of Russia Legion, joined it, and was given the task of preparing an assassination attempt. As the Astra Telegram channel wrote, citing an unnamed source, the case against Lekomtsev is related to the preparation of an assassination attempt on Aleksandr Zakharov, the head of the Izhevsk company Zala Aero, which produces Lancet kamikaze drones for the Russian army.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced Yegor Semenov, a native of Melitopol, to 27 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of attempting to poison graduates of a flight school in Armavir. He was accused of committing a terrorist attack using toxic substances and high treason. The prosecutor's office requested life imprisonment for the man. According to the prosecution, in October 2023, on the instructions of an "employee of the Ukrainian intelligence service," for a reward of 400,000 rubles [$4,840], he added cordiamine to alcoholic drinks and a cake, which were then delivered to a restaurant where a reunion of the school's graduates was taking place. Since the graduates did not understand who sent the package, they handed it over to law enforcement officers. Semenov was detained the same day.
In Moscow, a court found local resident Roman Shport guilty of confidential cooperation with a foreign state and sentenced him to five and a half years in a penal colony. Combined with his previous sentence for "justifying terrorism," which was handed down in January 2024, Shport's total prison term will be six years. According to investigators, the man wrote to the email address of the Freedom of Russia Legion and planned to distribute leaflets calling for people to join the unit. In court, Shport emphasized that he had only distributed materials of the Russian Volunteer Corps and had already served his sentence for this. He abandoned the idea of cooperating with the Legion, to which he had only sent two messages, as soon as he learned of its "extremist status."
A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced five residents of Melitopol accused of participating in a terrorist community and preparing a terrorist attack in the annexed city. The judge sentenced Igor Gorlov and Yury Petrov to 14 years imprisonment each, Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Zhukov to 12 years each, and Vladimir Zuyev to 11 years. According to investigators, in spring 2022, Ukrainian Armed Forces contract soldier Igor Gorlov, territorial defense servicemen Vladimir Zuyev, Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Zhukov, as well as retired military officer Yury Petrov planned to detonate a car bomb near a humanitarian aid distribution point in Melitopol. In early April 2022, all five were kidnapped by Russian law enforcement, as they testified in court. Initially, the Ukrainians, who were kept almost constantly handcuffed with bags over their heads, were held in underground prisons in Melitopol, where they were tortured with electricity and beaten. Later they were transferred to Russia. The defendants did not plead guilty. Mediazona provides detailed coverage of this case.
A court in Kaliningrad has sentenced 30-year-old Ivan Kveselievich from Zhytomyr to two and a half years in a penal colony for secret cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence. Kveselievich reached a pre-trial agreement with investigators and pleaded guilty in full. The court did not disclose the details of the charges, citing confidentiality restrictions. According to the Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet, the case against Kveselievich was initiated in the summer of 2024. He moved to Kaliningrad with his parents no later than 2008.
26-year-old Lyubov Prakhova, a resident of Khabarovsk, was sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony for treason and participation in a terrorist organization. According to the prosecution, Prakhova allegedly "on her own initiative" contacted representatives of the Russian Volunteer Corps in March 2024 and offered "assistance in activities against the security of Russia." She provided Ukrainian intelligence with information about the locations of law enforcement buildings in her city and disclosed personal information about a law enforcement officer.
The FSB has reported the arrest of a resident of the Primorsky region suspected of working with Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR). He was arrested on charges of collaborating with a foreign state. The accused reportedly contacted a GUR representative online and, under their direction, collected information on military facilities in the Primorsky region.
In the Novosibirsk region, a criminal case has been initiated against a resident of Berdsk who did not inform law enforcement officers about his acquaintance involved in the Russian Volunteer Corps. According to the FSB, the man maintained communication with his former compatriot, who is a leader of a structural unit of the Russian Volunteer Corps, received messages and videos from him containing information about the organization and the nationalist's participation in activities of illegal armed groups against Russian security, which the Berdsk resident did not report to investigators.
Children
In Voronezh, a Victory Parade was held at a kindergarten where the children marched and rode on mock-ups of military vehicles.
On Tuesday, Russian kindergartens, schools, children's camps, and colleges launched a two-day all-Russian counter-terrorism drill to respond to hostage-taking and drone strikes. The Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet discovered nearly 800 reports in VKontakte [the social network] groups of these institutions. Many photos show adults armed with mock assault rifles placing children on the ground and threatening them with weapons.
Longreads
Sever.Realii spoke with a mobilized soldier who deserted from the frontline and managed to reach France.
Meanwhile, Vyorstka and a group of independent sociologists surveyed over a hundred Russian soldiers to learn their views on peace talks and a possible end to the war — three-quarters of respondents said they want the combat to stop.