Mobilization in Russia for April 3-6, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Lawmakers moved to exclude the retroactive application of a bill giving military authorities a year to call up an individual from the moment a decision to conscript them is taken. Members of the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] introduced an amendment ahead of the bill’s second reading so draft offices would not carry out fall 2024 decisions in 2025. Another amendment would exempt two groups from regular conscription: citizens who have served at least six months in volunteer units recognized under the Law on Defense, and those who served in the armed formations of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" beginning May 11, 2014. The State Duma plans to consider the bill on April 8.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Administrators at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics blocked the campus passes of some senior students in order to expedite compliance with the draft board's instructions. The students had reportedly failed to heed notices summoning them to the university’s mobilization training department. Ultimately, they received summonses instructing them to report to the Zamoskvorechye district draft office to update their military registration and proof of enrollment.

The Esli Byt Tochnym [If We’re Being Precise] project has recorded the highest number of citizens performing alternative civilian service in the past 12 years. As of Feb. 1, 2025, 2,439 people were undergoing alternative service. Considering only new conscripts, from August 2024 to February 2025, 793 individuals signed employment contracts for alternative service. For the same period in 2023–2024, there were 517. Before February 2022, an average of 348 people signed such contracts every six months. The project notes that these figures do not reflect the actual level of interest in alternative service. The statistics only cover those who have been officially assigned to it. There is no publicly available data on how many applications have been submitted, rejected, or challenged in court.

The Baza Telegram channel, which has ties to Russian law enforcement, reports that Moscow's anti-protest police regiment is now recruiting men without military experience, according to their sources. The unit has reportedly faced staffing issues for a while: back in 2022, officers were instructed to search for new recruits online themselves. Until recently, having completed military service was still a requirement for applicants. However, that condition has now been lifted. Currently, each battalion is allowed to accept no more than five such men, but that number may be increased in the future.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Arsen Temiraev, a serviceman from the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment, has informed the Astra Telegram channel about receiving threats after recording a complaint about being beaten by military police in 2023. The police accompanied their assault with racial slurs. Following the incident, Temiraev experienced hallucinations, panic attacks and constant headaches. He returned to Russia's constituent Republic of North Ossetia–Alania and received treatment at a psychiatric clinic for over a month. He then went to his military unit in Russia's constituent Republic of Chechnya for a medical examination, where he instead was immediately assigned the service fitness category "V" (partially fit for military service) and listed for deployment to a combat zone. Temiraev refused to deploy and is now on the national wanted list for going AWOL.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Russia's constituent Republic of Bashkortostan, Radik Zigidullin, a serviceman from the 127th Reconnaissance Brigade, was stabbed in the abdomen by Ruslan Safin, a volunteer fighter from the Donbas Wild Division who had previously been convicted of robbery. The incident occurred on March 1 in the town of Beloretsk, while Zigidullin was on leave. Safin fled after the attack, and there is no information about his detention.

32-year-old Sanan Guseynov, accused of the murder of his ex-wife but released to go to the war before a verdict was issued, has fled from the frontline. The Zabaykalsky Regional Court now plans to resume the case against him. In addition to the murder case, a case of desertion will be added. However, the press service of the Mogocha District Court clarified that the ruling on the appeal in the murder case has not yet been received and information about it will be available later. In the fall of 2024, Guseynov fired approximately 12 shots at his ex-wife with a traumatic pistol that had been modified into a combat weapon. She died at the scene of her injuries.

In Saint Petersburg, a court has arrested Valery Porechensky, Deputy Chief Physician of the Kirov Clinical Hospital, Vasily Bakaev, General Director of the Ilnor company, and Sergey Altukhov, an employee of the draft office of the Krasnoselsky district. They are charged under the article on fraud. According to investigators, Bakaev and Altukhov were looking for individuals who wanted to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense and directed them to Porechensky. That is how they found Lobanova, who was hired as a cleaner at the hospital. The woman signed a contract with the MoD and applied for a payment of 1.4 million rubles [$16,600]. However, her application was substituted, and as a result, Porechensky, through a proxy, received 700,000 rubles [$8,280] intended for Lobanova.

In Tyumen, a 20-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of setting fire to two relay cabinets on March 25, between the Utyashevo and Tyumen railway stations. The suspects were apprehended in less than 24 hours. According to law enforcement, the pair acted in exchange for a promised payment of 40,000 rubles [$470] from an unidentified individual via a messaging app. A criminal case has been opened on charges of committing an act of terror as part of a premeditated group conspiracy.

A "court" in Simferopol has arrested two men accused of setting fire to relay cabinets near Chistenkaya station. A criminal case has been opened against a 35-year-old native of Ulyanovsk and a 43-year-old native of Simferopol on charges of committing an act of terror as part of a premeditated group conspiracy. The arson occurred on March 30, and the men were detained the following day. According to law enforcement, the fire caused damage exceeding one million rubles. The suspects allegedly confessed, claiming they were promised $200 by unidentified individuals via a messaging app in exchange for the arson.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the prevention of a terrorist attack at a military college dormitory in the Moscow region. According to the law enforcement, the attack was being prepared by a 49-year-old serviceman recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. The man was detained on April 2. The Investigative Committee states that the detainee acted on instructions from a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, whom he met on Telegram. On camera, the detainee said he was supposed to carry out a suicide bombing "near targets" in exchange for the "evacuation" of his children to Western countries. The FSB press release states that the man was involved in preparing a terrorist attack in a hall where military university cadets live. However, in a video published by state-owned news agencies, he says he planned to carry out a "terrorist attack in a cadets’ car." The military dormitory is not mentioned in the recording. A criminal case has been opened against the man for preparing a terrorist attack and possession of explosives.

Law enforcement officers detained a man from the "LPR" allegedly for collecting information about Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] storage facilities for Ukraine. According to the prosecution, the man passed the information to a representative of a foreign intelligence service to facilitate strikes on the Russian military units. The detainee’s name has not been disclosed. In the published video, his face is also obscured. He has been charged with treason.

The Primorsky Regional Court has sentenced 42-year-old lawyer Denis Bushtet from Spassk-Dalny to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of state treason. He was detained in November 2023. According to his niece, was an outspoken opponent of the war from the beginning and was in contact with a Ukrainian woman involved in charity work for the Ukrainian military. His niece is unaware of the specific charges that led to the investigation being initiated. Bushtet had a private law practice and was an animal welfare volunteer. He had previously been convicted twice and placed on probation for incitement to hatred and social welfare fraud.

According to The Insider [independent Russian investigative media outlet], in March 2025, Russian courts handed down 55 sentences involving 105 individuals convicted in politically motivated cases. Among those convicted were 41 Ukrainian soldiers who had been captured in the Kursk region. At least 22 of the sentences were issued by military courts in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Siberia in cases related to "state treason," "terrorism," "sabotage," and "espionage." In March, Russian courts also imposed prison sentences for comments on social media and statements that authorities deemed as "fake news" about the military, "discrediting" the armed forces, or "justifying terrorism."

Children and Educational System

In the village of Dzerzhinskoye in the Krasnoyarsk region, volunteers from the youth center and the Movement of the First state-led youth movement organized an event to manufacture and package a weapon allegedly capable of shooting down drones. These devices will be sent to the forward positions.

Artyomovsk Kindergarten No. 31 in the Sverdlovsk region announced a "patriotic campaign" from April 10-16, during which students will engage in making camouflage nets. All groups, from children aged 2-3 to 6-7-year-old graduates, will participate sequentially in this process.

Assistance

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russians have donated over 22 billion rubles [$260 million] as part of the "All for Victory!" fundraising campaign, as reported by the pro-government All-Russia People's Front movement.

Longreads

The Novaya Vkladka [New Tab] media outlet has released a piece discussing the evolving themes in chats among relatives of Russians involved in the conflict with Ukraine, and why many are concerned about the potential ceasefire.