Mobilization in Russia for Aug. 20-22, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Kursk Region and Border Areas

According to TASS [Russian state-owned news agency], citing sources in medical services, more than 30 people were killed during an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Kursk region, and another 143 were injured.

Putin held a meeting on the situation in the border regions. First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov reported that 115,000 people have been relocated from dangerous border areas. Meanwhile, according to the acting governor of the Kursk region, Aleksey Smirnov, 133,000 residents of the region have been evacuated from border areas, but around 20,000 people still remain there. More than 41,000 residents of the region have received various payments. Additionally, over 200 certificates for relocation have been issued in the region. During the meeting, Putin supported the automatic payment of 15,000 rubles [$160] to residents of the Kursk region who have left the combat zone. It was also announced that schools in the city of Kursk, the town of Kurchatov, and eight districts in the Kursk region will switch to remote learning. Seven other districts will introduce a hybrid learning format. Currently, 3,500 children evacuated from the combat zone are in other Russian regions.

The governors of the Belgorod and Bryansk regions requested funding from Putin to support the maintenance of self-defense regiments. During the meeting, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated that those who have joined the self-defense forces are currently performing their duties "absolutely free of charge" and that the regions "cannot cope without systematic support." According to him, two regiments with a total strength of around 6,000 people have been formed and are already "performing combat tasks throughout the border areas."

In Kursk, the installation of concrete shelters has begun. In 60 "key locations," protective structures against air and artillery attacks have appeared. Another 10 points will appear in Zheleznogorsk and in the future in Kurchatov, where the nuclear power plant is located. In the Bryansk region, employees of the Russian Railways [Russian fully state-owned railway company] have received bulletproof vests and helmets. Meanwhile, in the Belgorod region, buses will be equipped with electronic warfare means, the governor announced.

The Gosuslugi public services portal offered Russian residents to buy electronic certificates worth 500 rubles [$5.46] on the Ozon marketplace, which will be credited to residents of the Kursk region in need of assistance. With this money, they will be able to buy the necessary items. Moreover, Gosuslugi, in collaboration with the largest Russian classified advertisements website Avito, offered Russians to resettle residents of the Kursk region in their homes for free.

In the city of Nakhodka in the Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], budget employees are being forced to donate one day's salary to help the Kursk region. Screenshots of chats were published by journalist Anna Sharipova on her channel. One of the employees of the budget department told Sharipova that if the leader could not collect the specified amount of money, he could face punishment.

The Central Election Commission officially announced the postponement of municipal elections in the Kursk region. The decision was made "to protect the life and health of citizens." The period for which the elections are postponed was not specified by the CEC. The resolution notes that the decision on the preparation and holding of elections will be made in the absence of a threat to the life and health of voters.

Authorities and Legislation

The federal government has endorsed a bill which would allow authorities to take enforcement actions against Russians abroad for violating a number of articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses. These include dissemination of false information in the media or on the internet which threatens public order; insulting the head of state, officials or state symbols; inciting hatred or enmity; discrediting the Armed Forces; and calling for the violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation or the introduction of sanctions against it and its citizens. Members of the State Council of Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan had proposed the corresponding changes back in 2023. At the same time, they demanded that the statute of limitations for these crimes be extended to two years. Presently, the authorities have the right to initiate proceedings for only a single type of administrative offense, if committed abroad: participation in the activities of an "undesirable organization." In reality, however, they already impose fines for other offenses. The bill would only bring the law in line with established practice, legal experts told the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet. Meduza [international Russian-language online media outlet] came to the same conclusion, after discussing the changes with Eva Levenberg, a lawyer with the OVD-Info independent human rights project.

Over the last three years, the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] has passed 26 bills "in a single day," writes the Vyorstka media outlet. This means that the three readings took place consecutively and, as a result, lawmakers had only a few hours to review each bill. More than 80% of them (21) were introduced after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and only two were not related to the war.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

According to the Baza Telegram channel, authorities are pushing employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs across the country to talk detainees into joining the war. In the Kirov region, for instance, police officers are promised a bonus of 10,000 rubles [$110] for each detainee who signs a contract with the Ministry of Defense. Payment of the bonus is delayed, however, until the detainee reaches a military unit. In Crimea, on the other hand, law enforcement officers must report back to management every time they attempt to persuade a detainee to enlist.

The Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel, citing a former inmate from Saint Petersburg who contacted them, reported on recruitment efforts targeting ex-prisoners. According to the source, ex-prisoners are being summoned for interviews and offered contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

In Krasnoyarsk, a local television station aired a report claiming that "interest in contract-based military service has increased" among local residents. The off-camera journalist stated that "queues are forming at the draft offices." As evidence, the segment showed eight volunteer fighters standing on a parade ground.

The Ufa city administration has extended until the end of the year the period for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense, during which a sign-up bonus of 300,000 rubles [$3,280] is granted. Previously, the deadline was Aug. 31.

Former Interior Ministry colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko, sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony for accepting bribes totaling 1.4 billion rubles [$15.29 million], has been trying for almost a year to get permission to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense. According to the Kommersant daily newspaper, there is allegedly some kind of "prohibition" directive regarding Zakharchenko.

Sergey Lezhnyov, the former adviser to the governor of the Oryol region who was arrested for large-scale fraud, has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense. He announced this himself on Aug. 21 during a court hearing to extend his pre-trial detention. On the same day, Lezhnyov was also charged with embezzlement.

Aleksey Korobeinikov, a member of the United Russia party [Putin's ruling party] from the regional legislative assembly, has left the Sverdlovsk region for the frontline. He will retain his membership while at the frontline. This is the third official from the Sverdlovsk region who has publicly announced his deployment to the war.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Rishat Seitkaziev from the Astrakhan region, Aleksey Orlov from the Voronezh region, Oleg Rozhkov from Russian-annexed Crimea and Andrey Ivanichev from the Samara region.

The head of the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] project Grigory Sverdlin has reported on the mass deployment of conscripts to the combat zone. The anti-war project Idite Lesom! has received inquiries from more than 150 conscripts or their parents from approximately 20 regions of Russia since the Ukrainian army’s advance into the Kursk region. The project's data indicates that several thousand conscripts have been transferred to the Kursk region. Some conscripts are also being sent to the Belgorod region.

In the Kursk region, cell phones are being confiscated from conscripts to prevent communication with their families. A mother of a conscript said that soldiers are prohibited from using both smartphones and regular phones. Furthermore, they are being pressured to sign up for contract-based military service, and if they refuse, they are written up as deserters and threatened with deployment to the war.

The Okno project reports on how mothers of dozens of conscripts are searching for their sons who have gone missing in the Kursk region. Many relatives of the conscripts fear "unwanted publicity" because, first, scammers have started using the personal information of the missing soldiers, and second, they have already received threats from the military. The families are concerned about being prosecuted under the law for "discrediting" the armed forces because of their petitions and protests.

The parents of 22-year-old conscript soldier Vadim Kopylov, a serviceman of the 17th Battalion of the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment, who was captured in the Kursk region, recorded an appeal asking for him to be included in a list for exchange.

Conscripts evacuated from the border of the Kursk region during a breakthrough by the Armed Forces of Ukraine were sent back to the region's border area. They were held for over a week at a military base near Kursk, coerced into signing contracts, and threatened with prison. After refusing, they were forced to agree to return to the border. The conscripts were taken from the base on Aug. 20 and 21 and sent to the Bolshesoldatsky district of the Kursk region.

Conscript soldier Vladislav Nikitin from Kursk was subjected to abuse and humiliation by his commanders and fellow soldiers. Despite Nikitin’s health problems, his commanders tormented him, forcing him to squat and do push-ups, and beat him for complaining. Later, Nikitin made an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He now seeks to hold his commanders accountable, but so far, his complaints to the Prosecutor General's Office have not been addressed.

A resident of Ulan-Ude, Dmitry Gerasimov, who signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense after being pressured by investigators and facing a criminal case involving a GPS tracker, is being transferred from the 5th Separate Tank Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army to the 42nd Motor Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army. He has repeatedly submitted resignation requests, citing the need to care for his disabled mother as the reason. According to him, these requests have been ignored. Recently, Dmitry was informed that, under the orders of Colonel Sokol, he is being transferred to another unit despite being diagnosed with a thyroid tumor, which, he says, makes it difficult for him to breathe. He believes this is an attempt to get rid of him.

Soldiers from the 57th Regiment recorded a video from the "death basement" located in the basement of a psychiatric hospital near Donetsk City Hospital No. 14. In this unsanitary environment, without water or food, wounded and shell-shocked soldiers are held without receiving a medical evaluation. According to the video’s author, the cost to escape the basement is 1.5 million rubles [$16,394].

Stanislav Vitort, who was recruited into the Storm-V unit of the 82nd Regiment and cannot walk without crutches, is scheduled to be sent on an assault mission. He signed his contract in January 2024 while in a penal colony. In March, during his very first mission, he was wounded and almost lost vision in one eye. After undergoing an unsuccessful surgery on his leg, he is unable to move without crutches or a cane. All of his requests for a repeat medical evaluation were "lost" by the command. Ultimately, Vitort, still on crutches, was sent to a training ground and the next day was transported to the Belgorod region. He is now located in the "Luhansk People's Republic." All appeals to higher authorities have received only formal replies.

A 32-year-old mobilized soldier from the Novosibirsk region with a shoulder injury was forcibly taken from his unit to the "special military operation" zone. He already had issues with his right arm before mobilization. His condition got even worse during his service. In August 2024, his military unit sent him to a medical examination. However, the military commandant's office personnel forcibly transported him to an airfield. Currently, there is no contact with him.

Relatives of soldiers from the 70th Regiment have recorded a collective appeal complaining about the actions of the command. According to them, the soldiers in the unit are being assaulted, wounded and dead soldiers are not being evacuated, and money is being withdrawn from the bank accounts of those killed and missing in action. The commanders ignore all requests for information about the status of the soldiers and refuse to communicate with the soldiers’ families.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Russia’s constituent Republic of Dagestan, a police officer accused of the war participant’s death, has been arrested for two months and sent to a pre-trial detention center.

In Novosibirsk, a serviceman Viktor Minaev was sentenced to six years in a penal settlement for going AWOL.

A contract soldier has been acquitted of charges of going AWOL. In the summer of 2023, the contract soldier left his duty station due to disagreements with the command and voluntarily appeared at one of Moscow's military investigative departments two days later. During the investigation, he was temporarily assigned to a military unit in the Moscow region. During this time, a criminal case was initiated against the soldier for going AWOL, which was later transferred to Moscow. A few months later, the criminal case was dismissed on rehabilitative grounds—criminal prosecution for going AWOL is possible if the absence exceeds two days.

The court invalidated a contract between Danish citizen Niklas Hoffgor and the Ministry of Defense, which he signed without knowing the Russian language. The man arrived in Russia in the summer of 2023, and when his stay in the country expired in the fall, he signed the contract and was deployed to the frontline, where he dug trenches. In the spring of 2024, Hoffgor filed a lawsuit against the MoD requesting the contract be declared invalid. The district court overturned the lower court's decision. Hoffgor stated that he would like to stay in Russia after the situation is resolved.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel explains the responsibilities and obligations that taking the oath imposes on conscripts. Before taking the oath, conscripts cannot be assigned to combat missions or missions related to the imposition of a state of emergency, and during armed conflicts, they cannot be assigned weapons or military vehicles. However, taking the oath does not play a legal role in being held criminally responsible for military crimes. Conscripts become subjects of military crimes from the moment they are given a military rank, which typically occurs at the military collection point.

In Rostov-on-Don, the prosecutor's office has requested up to 24 years in a penal colony for 24 Ukrainian POWs. Among them are nine women, most of whom were cooks for the Azov Brigade, facing sentences of 16 to 19 years. The men face sentences of 16 to 24 years in a maximum security penal colony. They are accused of actions aimed at violent seizure of power, participation in activities of a terrorist organization, and undergoing training for terrorist activities. Memorial [an international human rights organization] has recognized all defendants in this case as political prisoners.

In Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, law enforcement officers detained a man who tore down 13 posters advertising contract-based military service. The detainee has been charged with discrediting the Armed Forces and causing damage to property. A video apology by the detainee has appeared on social media. He faces up to seven years in a penal colony.

The Federal Security Service [FSB] reported the arrest of a resident of Chita suspected of state treason. He allegedly carried out orders from handlers in Ukraine, including gathering information on the Russian Armed Forces, writing anti-government slogans on city buildings, and involving people in the activities of an international terrorist organization controlled by Ukrainian intelligence services.

The FSB also reported the arrest of three agents of Ukrainian intelligence in Crimea and Sevastopol. According to the agency, the detainees were preparing sabotage activities on the territory of the annexed peninsula, including targeting a pumping station supplying Kerch.

The number of new political prisoners grew 73% in 2023 as Memorial categorized 134 people as political prisoners. Persecution of 107 of them (79.6%) is in some way connected to the Russian-Ukrainian war. 60 people have been charged with spreading "fake" information about the Russian Army. Charges of inciting or condoning terrorism are also “popular” and were brought against 31 of the political prisoners as of the end of 2023. The use of the article on inciting actions against the state security is on the rise.

Assistance

Irkutsk region volunteers published a request to "chip in" for the transformation of soldiers’ remains. The Ministry of Defense delivers the bodies for free but only up to the nearest airport which is 300 kilometers [186 mi] away.

Authorities in the Primorsky region urge residents to turn in firearms and ammunition they found or are storing illegally for the needs of the "special military operation."

In the Omsk region, former participants of the war will become detectives. The regional directorate of the Investigative Committee reports that the region is recruiting war veterans to enroll in several agency-run colleges at the federal budget expense.

The Pskov region will subsidize employment of disabled war veterans.