Mobilization in Russia for Aug. 16-18, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Vladimir Putin has promoted his first cousin once removed Anna Tsivilyova to the position of State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. The Holod independent Russian media outlet notes that there can only be one State Secretary per ministry. Their mandate includes the "drafting of proposals to shape the positions of the President and government regarding legislative bills." Tsivilyova has been released from the duties of regular Deputy Defense Minister, a position she occupied since June 17.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, over 3,000 civilians were evacuated from the Kursk region in the preceding 24 hours. Approximately 10,000 people, including 3,000 children, have sought shelter in 171 temporary accommodation centers across Russia.
Marina Degtyareva, the head of the Korenevsky district of the Kursk region, warned displaced residents "against attempts to return home." She wrote in the VKontakte social network that the "tactical situation remains complicated" in the district, adding that despite this, some residents "continue to try to return." In doing so, they ostensibly interfere with the work of military personnel, and in some cases, these attempts end in "terrible tragedy."
An audio recording has been published online purporting to describe the atmosphere in Goncharovka, a village to the west of the town of Sudzha, on the eve of the Ukrainian offensive. The recording is allegedly an intercepted conversation with Aleksandr Garkavenko, the head of the Goncharovka rural administration. He complains about the negligence and inefficiency of the Russian Army and other officials. According to him, local residents provided food and clothing to the conscripts,who were abandoned by the army at the border right from the start. Additionally, he says the territory had not been mined, despite the installation of warning signs to that effect. He adds that local residents had suspected an attack was imminent, but the military did not pay attention to their concerns. Finally, he claims to have witnessed Russian soldiers deploying a BM-21 Grad MLRS "in the middle of the street" and firing from inside the villages.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
In the Eastern Administrative Okrug of Moscow [one of Moscow's twelve high-level territorial divisions], police and military investigators have conducted another raid, resulting in dozens of men who had recently obtained Russian citizenship being summoned to draft offices for military registration. A similar roundup has been carried out in the city of Serpukhov and the town of Chekhov in the Moscow region. As a result, ten migrants who had received Russian passports were summoned for completing military registration.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Pyotr Serov from the Tver region, Vitaly Chursinov from the Voronezh region and Aleksey Yeromasov from the Lipetsk region.
Another conscript has been reported killed in the Kursk region. 18-year-old Daniil Rubtsov from Vologda, previously reported missing, who served in the 252nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, died on Aug. 7, as reported by his mother to the Astra Telegram channel. On Aug. 16, his death was confirmed by the draft office. The military commissar does not know how or under what circumstances Rubtsov, who served in the village of Plekhovo near Sudzha, 3 km [1,86 mi] from the Russia-Ukraine border, died. He last made contact on Aug. 5. Earlier, an obituary appeared for Artyom Dobrodumsky, a 22-year-old conscript from the Rostov region.
Moreover, another conscript has been reported going missing in the Kursk region. 20-year-old Vladimir Gigin, who served in the 43rd Railway Brigade in Yekaterinburg, last contacted his mother on Aug. 6 at 8:30 a.m., on the day of the border breakthrough.
The relatives of conscript Nikolay Shashurov from the Yaroslavl region have reached out to regional commissioner Sergey Baburkin, as well as the draft office, the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund, and the regional Duma [parliament]—the relatives believe that Nikolay is being held captive, as a video with his participation has emerged. Moreover, he himself called and reported that he was in captivity and asked for help to be included in the exchange lists. According to the commissioner, the family has been referred to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The young man was conscripted into the army in November 2023.
Washington Post journalists, under conditions of secrecy, visited one of the camps for Russian POWs. According to their information, in the last ten days, 320 Russian servicemen have passed through it, with only 20% being contract soldiers and mobilized men. Thus, there are at least 250 captured conscripts. It is reported that the captives receive medical care, are fed three times a day, and are allowed to shower, and some have been given the opportunity to contact relatives by phone or write a letter. Representatives of the Red Cross have been granted access to them.
Activists of the Priemnaya [Reception] project have launched a campaign against sending conscripts to the Kursk region. As part of the developed initiative, people can send appeals to the deputies of their regional parliaments demanding to find out whether the conscripts from their regions are in the areas bordering Ukraine. The project's lawyers have developed a template for the appeal, where one can fill in their data before sending the appeal. A response should come to the specified email.
The Put Domoy [Way Home] Telegram channel reported that near the town of Oleshky, the Russian Armed Forces have established a base where "the remnants from many units consisting of convicts," including the wounded and maimed, have been gathered. According to some reports, refuseniks are also being sent there. The people gathered there abuse alcohol and engage in brawling. The military police do not visit there, and local residents are strongly advised not to appear near this base. The military personnel held there are reportedly planned to be used in assaults.
Due to a shortage of personnel, military servicemen from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), including those from nuclear strike warning stations and heavy bomber regiments, have been reassigned to motorized rifle units. A source familiar with the situation in the VKS units revealed this to Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet], and the information is also supported by open-source data. A motorized rifle regiment made up of VKS servicemen was formed between May and June to cover border areas. The VKS infantry arrived in border regions a few weeks before the AFU breakthrough, around mid-July. It is likely that VKS motorized riflemen were part of the convoy destroyed by a HIMARS strike near the town of Rylsk.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In the city of Rostov-on-Don, an unidentified person in military uniform attacked a lawyer defending servicemen of the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade. According to the woman, the assailant first pushed her and then struck her in the face and ribs. Svetlana, the lawyer, says she is currently working exclusively on cases related to the 5th Brigade and believes the attack is connected to the recent publication by Astra that featured stories from her clients. Previously, she had received verbal death threats from members of the brigade. After the attack on Svetlana, military personnel also attempted to break into the home of another Astra interviewee, civilian human rights activist Maksim Vedoprav, in the city of Donetsk. The men in uniform arrived at Vedoprav's home in an unmarked vehicle, but the activist was not there at the time. Vedoprav had earlier passed on a referral to the military medical commission for guitar teacher Vladimir Frolov, who had been sent on a deadly assault despite his disability.
Russian soldiers were caught on video looting a telecommunications store in the village of Glushkovo in the Kursk region on Aug. 17. The nearly half-hour footage shows men in Russian military uniforms, allegedly from the Akhmat battalion, breaking display cases, stealing equipment, and attempting to force open a door. According to pro-Russian military bloggers, the looters have already been detained. The Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet confirmed that at least one of the perpetrators belonged to a unit from Chechnya [Russia's constituent republic].
In the village of Kolotilovka, Krasnoyaruzhsky district, Belgorod region, incidents of looting by Russian soldiers have been reported. According to a local resident who spoke to the Pepel [Ashes] Telegram channel, soldiers are breaking into homes and stealing cars. Some villagers have reported missing livestock. In the village chat, people have mentioned that the soldiers are raiding cellars, taking home appliances, and other valuable items. Residents have complained to the head of the village, Tatyana Pronchenko, who confirmed receiving reports of looting and promised to pass this information on to the regional Security Council.
In Rostov-on-Don, a military court hasreduced the sentence of contract soldier Andrey Sapelkin, who had initially been sentenced to six and a half years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of desertion. Following an appeal, the court reduced the sentence by one year and changed the type of correctional facility to a less severe one. In early May 2023, Sapelkin took a two-week leave and traveled to the Krasnodar region but did not return to his military unit as he was undergoing medical treatment, which he reported to his superiors. Later, due to the need to care for his disabled father, Sapelkin attempted to resign. After his request was denied, he voluntarily reported to the military commandant's office. Nevertheless, he was charged with desertion.
A 36-year-old activist from the Kaluga region, Igor Safronov, has been charged with high treason, attempting to join a terrorist organization, undergoing training for terrorist activities, and attempting to carry out an act of terror. According to his confession published by the Federal Security Service (FSB), Safronov initially transferred funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Later, he allegedly distributed explosives in cashes in the region. It is believed that he was offered to commit a terrorist act and given instructions on how to leave Russia. In 2011, Safronov participated in political protests.
Ibragim Orudzhev, who is accused of "terrorism training" for photographing the schedule of a draft office, has been charged with an additional offense—preparing an act of terror. According to law enforcement officers, he "conducted reconnaissance of the area... with the intention of further arson." However, the defense claims that Orudzhev visited a veterinary clinic near the draft office. Orudzhev himself showed the photographs to the police and explained that he needed to register at the draft office and therefore took a picture of the schedule.
In the "LPR," intelligence services havedetained a Ukrainian citizen on suspicion of espionage. In a video released by the FSB, he claims that he had provided the AFU with the coordinates of Russian troops and "adjusted a missile strike."
Assistance
On Aug. 17, "military-patriotic" events were held in Nizhny Novgorod to celebrate the 803rd anniversary of the city. In the village of Kizema, Arkhangelsk region, camouflage net weaving stations were organized as part of the village day celebration.
Volunteers from the Zabaykalsky region [Russia's federal subject] haveraised almost 40 million rubles [$448,900] to aid participants in the invasion. Additionally, they won a grant to purchase an autoclave and started preparing freeze-dried meals in vacuum-sealed packages.
In the town of Tayshet, after the death of local football player Yury Osipov in the war, a children's football match was held in honor of those fighting on the frontline. The prize fund from the event was donated for the purchase of gear and equipment for soldiers.
Longreads
The Vyorstka media outlet has calculated how much money the state spends on payments for service and death in the war, who receives "death gratuities" for the death of loved ones, and what actions are taken by those who did not receive the body of a deceased relative.
The Proshchai Oruzhiye [A Farewell to Arms] organization has prepared a video in which Russian soldiers who deserted from the army explain why they decided to desert.