Mobilization in Russia for Aug. 2-4, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Russian telephone operators have begun to distribute SMS text messages urging recipients to enlist and join the war effort. "Sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense: get benefits and at least 800,000 rubles [$9,340] straight away. Call 117," the messages state. Earlier, citing "a source in the telecom industry," the Ranshe Vsekh. Nu Pochti [Earlier Than All, Almost] Telegram channel had indicated that authorities were planning such a campaign, adding that it would start on Aug. 1. Subscribers to several online media outlets, including Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News], Meduza and Sota, reported receiving such messages. Sota also wrote that among recipients was a woman whom Russian authorities have declared to be a foreign agent.

In parallel, the Ministry of Defense has begun to post a series of propaganda videos, calling on citizens to take part in the war against Ukraine. One of them, titled "We are Russians, God is with Us," purports to show the religious and ethnic diversity of the invasion’s participants. The clip features an enumeration of 40 ethnicities living in Russia and ends with the words "We are Karelians, we are Ukrainians, we are Russians." The Astra Telegram channel notes that it sparked outrage even among some pro-government bloggers.

Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] reports that, in the second quarter of this year (April through June), Russian banks have processed 45,800 loan deferment applications submitted by participants of the war. This represents an unprecedented increase, since they had received 33,000 deferment applications in Q1. As described in our joint investigation with Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet], 73,300 individuals received sign-up bonuses for concluding contracts with the Defense Ministry during this period. Authorities launched the payment holiday program at the same time they declared mobilization in 2022. Although all invasion participants are eligible, the program only applies to loans taken out before departure for the war. As a result, we can assume that the majority of applications are currently being submitted by individuals who volunteer to enlist.

In Orenburg, law enforcement officers have conducted a raid at workplaces where migrants are employed, during which they identified three new Russian citizens evading military registration. They were taken to a draft office and registered.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Nikolay Katunin from the Belgorod region, Sergey Samoylov and Dmitry Pozdnyakov from the Volgograd region, Andrey Shvedin from the Omsk region, Saidash Vagizov from Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan, Maksim Sharapata from the Vologda region, Ivan Yudin and Vladimir Semyonov from the Sverdlovsk region, as well as Radislav Nikolaev from Russia’s constituent Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Activists have discovered new graves of those killed in the war with Ukraine in the Krasnodar region cemeteries. Among the dead are both servicemen of the Ministry of Defense and mercenaries of the Wagner Group. The Kavkaz.Realii media outlet found that some of those buried had previously been prosecuted on multiple occasions for grave and aggravated crimes.

A 23-year-old conscript, Andrey Kazakov from the city of Petrozavodsk in Russia’s constituent Republic of Karelia, died in a military unit. He was drafted for the regular biannual conscription in December 2023 and had no intention to enlist for contract-based military service. A few months later, he was sent to the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. At the end of May, Kazakov's parents were informed that, according to the official statement, he had shot himself while on duty. His family is convinced that the Ministry of Defense is trying to cover up the actual cause of his death. Kazakov's mother believes that her son might have been driven to suicide, but proving this is practically impossible, as the Investigative Committee refused to conduct an independent medical examination and to initiate a criminal case.

Konstantin Drepin, a resident of the city of Vladimir, was killed in the war with Ukraine. His mother claims that he was sent to the war despite being unfit for service due to injuries. According to her, two draft offices had rejected him, but a certain handler, who received a reward for her actions—likely referral payments—managed to persuade a third draft office to accept him for service.

The mother of soldier Eduard Mukhamadiev from the city of Belgorod, whose body has been lying in the area of the village of Starytsia in the Kharkiv region since May 13, recorded a video address in which she stated that her son is listed as missing, although she has the exact geolocation of her son's body, along with photos and videos confirming his death. According to the soldiers she spoke with, the command of the 41st Motorized Rifle Regiment ordered not to retrieve the bodies of the dead, despite having access to them: helmets and body armor are removed from the deceased. Allegedly, the command aims to avoid paying compensation and to conceal the extent of the losses.

The parents of soldier Aleksandr Bortnikov from the city of Donetsk are trying to obtain information about their son, who last contacted them from a basement. Bortnikov signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense in October 2022, but after a year of service, he had a conflict with his commander. He fled the unit but was persuaded by the command to return to service in early May 2024. On May 17, he called from a basement and said that his battalion was being sent on an assault. A week ago, his relatives learned that Bortnikov had been missing since May 20. None of his fellow soldiers are responding to calls anymore.

In the "DPR," at least four servicemen from the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade are being held in a basement in handcuffs and shackles. Instead of undergoing medical examination, they are being sent on assault missions. According to the soldiers' lawyer, who spoke with ASTRA, their injuries on the frontline led to severe illnesses. Although all the servicemen are "partially fit for military service" which disqualifies them from participating in combat operations, the unit's command threatens them and continues to hold them in the basement and send them on assault missions.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The FSB in Omsk has detained a local who allegedly planned to fight on the side of Ukraine. The man reportedly received instructions to gather information on military facilities and the defense industry. He also justified the activities of "Ukrainian terrorist groups" by posting supportive content online. A criminal case has been initiated against him for public calls for terrorism.

The 2nd Western District Military Court has received a criminal case against Artyom Lozovoy, a 38-year-old auto electrician from Voronezh. He is charged with treason, preparing an act of terror, and illegal trafficking in explosives, and has been in custody since at least November 2023. Last year, he was found guilty of "discrediting the Armed Forces" and fined 30,000 rubles [$350]. A few months later, Lozovoy was accused of attempting to blow up a draft office in Voronezh and was ordered into custody.

TASS [Russian state-owned news agency], citing sources, reports that Ruslan Sidiki, an anarchist accused of a railway explosion, allegedly expressed a desire to go to the war. However, his lawyer and a Sotavision source deny this information. It is worth noting that the law does not allow for a contract with the Ministry of Defense under the terrorist charges for which Sidiki is accused. At the same time, Sidiki has been added to the list of terrorists and extremists.

Pianist and anti-war activist Pavel Kushnir died in a pre-trial detention center in Birobidzhan following a dry hunger strike. The 39-year-old man passed away on July 27, but this has only become known recently. He had announced the start of his hunger strike on May 9. Kushnir, a soloist at the Birobidzhan Philharmonic, was detained by the FSB at the end of May. During his detention, "a homemade FBI agent certificate was found on him." A criminal case was initiated against the musician for public incitement to terrorist activities, based on four videos on the Foreign Agent Mulder YouTube channel, which allegedly contained "incitement to violently overthrow of the constitutional order in the Russian Federation through revolution." Kushnir’s channel had only five subscribers.

Assistance

The head of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, has introduced a bill to exempt servicemen from paying the vehicle tax for the year preceding their deployment to the frontline. The already paid vehicle tax will be refunded.

Children

Kazan Federal University has allocated 25 million rubles [$291,900] of its own funds to educate the children of participants in the war with Ukraine, offering a 100% discount on paid education.

Miscellaneous

The Krasnodar City Council has allocated funds for payments to those killed in drone strikes. In the event of the death of a resident of Krasnodar, 2 million rubles [$23,400] will be paid from the city budget.

Longreads

The Okno media outlet released a material, which reported that sending men to war leads to a shortage of drivers in the regions of Russia.