Mobilization in Russia for Aug. 23-25, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
A coach from Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], suspected of raping his female student with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability, has left for the war with Ukraine. The man scheduled massage sessions with the victim, during which he repeatedly raped her, according to the victim's mother, who reported the incidents to Vyacheslav Markhayev, a State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] member from the CPRF [the Communist Party of the Russian Federation]. Although the suspect was arrested, he managed to leave for the frontline before his trial. Initially, he was charged with rape (some aspects of this charge typically preclude signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense) and making death threats. However, the documents authorizing his departure to the war cite a much lighter charge, which usually results in a fine. Markhayev did not specify the exact nature of this lesser charge.
The government of Kursk region has published an advertisement for contract military service in the BARS-Kursk volunteer unit, which operates as part of the Russian Army. The unit accepts men up to 65 years old. Candidates are required to have a state of health that allows them to "perform tasks as intended," as well as meet "professional and psychological suitability" criteria. Those joining the unit are promised six-month contracts, with "task performance" limited to the Kursk region. However, Vladimir Putin's mobilization decree is still in effect in Russia, which legally prevents the termination of contracts with the MoD during the mobilization period, as they are open-ended. Additionally, servicemen do not have the right to choose their duty station.
In Vladimir's Cathedral Square, where festivities for the City Day are taking place, a contract soldier recruitment point has been set up. Meanwhile, in Moscow, advertisements for contract military service have appeared on ticket vending machines in the metro.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Viktor Brelidze from the Krasnodar region, Sergey Matveyev from the Kostroma region, as well as Sergey Afanasyev and Aleksandr Lysyansky from the Belgorod region.
Russia and Ukraine have completed a 115-for-115 prisoner of war exchange. According to the Russian MoD, the United Arab Emirates played the role of a mediator in the process. The Russian soldiers were first transported to Belarus and then transferred to Russia. The Nash Vykhod [Our Way Out] Ukrainian project published a list of names of exchanged soldiers, all of whom were conscripts. This has been confirmed by Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova and pro-Russian war correspondent Semyon Pegov. At least three of those conscripts had previously appeared in videos filmed while they were in captivity. The list published by Nash Vykhod includes the names of at least 18 soldiers from Russia's constituent Republic of Komi, two from the Vologda region and one from the Pskov region. Additionally, the Tyumen Commissioner has confirmed the release of five POWs from the region, while two more exchanged conscripts were from the Sverdlovsk region and one from the Vladimir region. Among those returned to Russia is Aleksandr Ovchinnikov, whose mother had previously been denied information by the MoD regarding her son's captivity.
However, several conscripts were not included on the POW lists. Among them are Maksim Hyamyalaynen and Danil Kolesnikov, who were captured in the Kursk region on the first day of the AFU offensive, as well as Vladislav Appel, who is missing.
At least 19 Russian conscripts remain missing after being taken prisoner, according to Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet]. The outlet reached this conclusion by comparing exchange lists with previously compiled records of prisoners, those killed, wounded and those missing in action. An additional 66 conscripts are still listed as missing. Some conscripts, whom relatives initially could not locate among the living or the prisoners, were later released as part of an exchange. Considering those already exchanged, still in captivity, killed, wounded and missing in action, Vazhnyye Istorii estimates that approximately 250 conscripts have been affected by the fighting near Kursk. A separate analysis by The Washington Post, based on videos and photos of surrenders, showed that at least 247 Russian soldiers were captured. Vazhnyye Istorii has also published lists of conscripts who are still missing or in captivity.
Several conscripts have also returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. Some of these soldiers had been held captive since the onset of the war. According to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the exchange included six National Guard members from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, sailors, three border guards and 82 soldiers who defended Mariupol, including 50 defenders of the Azovstal Steel Factory.
In Ivanovo, conscripts from the 98th Guards Airborne Division are being deployed to serve in the Kursk region. This information was shared with the Ostorozhno, Novosti Telegram channel by local journalist Aleksey Mashkevich, whose son was conscripted into the division's 217th Regiment this spring. According to Mashkevich, the conscripts recently took their oath in Kostroma, and on Aug. 24, they were transported to Ivanovo. There, they were informed that they would soon be sent to a training range for joint combat training exercises and in a month, to the Kursk region. The soldiers themselves report that there was no selection process among them. Although the command conducted psychological testing, all of them are being sent to serve in Kursk. At present, they have only completed basic training and have not been informed about the tasks they will be performing in the combat zone.
One of the convicts killed during the terrorist attack in Volgograd’s Penal Colony No. 19 was identified as a mobilized soldier imprisoned for desertion. Sergey Bashkatov, a 34-year-old resident of the Krasnodar region, had been sentenced to five years in prison for desertion after failing to return to his unit following medical treatment. In August, he signed a contract with the MoD and was slated to be sent to the frontline.
The Astra Telegram channel has reported that Yevgeny Zarubin, a serviceman from the Storm unit of the 138th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who gained notoriety after posting an emotional video about the fighting near the town of Vovchansk and later fled his unit, was assaulted and placed in a pit under threats of a court-martial. Subsequently, Zarubin and a fellow soldier were transported to an undisclosed location with bags over their heads. Preliminary information suggests that the second man may have already been killed in the assault. Currently, there is no communication with Zarubin.
Stanislav Vitort, a former convict recruited into the Storm-V unit, was detained and sent near Shebekino after posting a video in which he complained about being sent on an attack mission, according to his wife. Initially, he said he would be performing certain combat tasks there. Later, he asked for the post about him to be deleted. Shortly afterward, his phone was confiscated and he stopped communicating. Vitort's wife is now concerned for his safety.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
Russian soldiers robbed a Wildberries warehouse in the village of Zvannoye in the Kursk region. CCTV cameras captured three soldiers entering the warehouse at the order pickup point, tearing open packaging envelopes and taking packages belonging to local residents. Later that night, three other soldiers came to the pickup point again, spending more than half an hour sorting through the remaining boxes and taking some items. There have also been reports of widespread looting in Glushkovo. Earlier, on Aug. 17, Russian soldiers, presumably from the Akhmat battalion, stole merchandise from a cell phone store. An evacuation was ordered in the Glushkovsky district on Aug. 14. As of now, the villages of Glushkovo and Zvannoye remain under Russian military control.
In Stavropol, a court sentenced contract soldier Vitaly Vazamiller to nine years in a penal colony for causing grievous bodily harm that resulted in death.
Yakov Paramonov, a 36-year-old recidivist sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for rape, was recruited for the Wagner Group from the penal colony. He lost his leg in the war, was granted his freedom and returned home to Saransk with awards. A year later, in August 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony again on charges of rape. Despite having been previously convicted nine times, the recidivism did not constitute an aggravating circumstance, as Paramonov is considered not to have a criminal record due to his participation in the war.
In Nalchik, a court has sentenced contract soldier Arsen Zakoroev to one year in a penal colony on charges of using violence against a police officer. In court, Zakoroev explained that another driver cut him off and forced him to stop. A patrol and inspection service officer in uniform, who was a passenger in the second car, got out and demanded that Zakoroev cease disrupting public order. When the police officer began calling for backup, Zakoroev knocked him to the ground and assaulted him.
The Saint Petersburg City Court has registered a criminal case against two residents of Saint Petersburg accused of setting fire to a relay cabinet in May 2023. According to investigators, Vasily Ivanov and Sergey Saratovtsev set fire to the relay cabinet on the section between Novaya Derevnya and Lakhta stations on the night of May 4, 2023. The men were detained the following day and were placed in custody in July. Prosecutors allege that an "unidentified person" promised to pay them 8,000 rubles [$87] for the arson. The incident has been classified as sabotage committed by a group in conspiracy.
On Aug. 24, a fire was set to a military court building in Kazan. According to witnesses, a pair of perpetrators broke a window and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. It was later reported that the fire was extinguished and nobody was injured. The two arsonists were detained and transported to a police station. Reports indicate that the suspects were a woman and her 13-year-old son. They allegedly confessed that they had been promised a monetary reward for the act of arson.
The OVD-Info independent human rights project continues collecting statistics on repressions against anti-war activists. According to the project's tally, over 1,020 people have been criminally charged under "anti-war" articles since the start of the full-scale invasion. In addition, more than 20,000 people were detained for their anti-war stance. Details are available on the project’s website.
Children
Russian kindergartens and summer camps have organized patriotic rallies to support the Kursk region. Children recited poems, danced, recorded videos with slogans such as "No to war" and "Let there always be peace" and took photos with candles. At a kindergarten in the Rostov region, children were photographed in front of a portrait of Putin and a poster with the message "Kursk, we are with you."
Longreads
A total of 423 participants in the war with Ukraine are running for various levels of public office in Russia. Among them, 380 veterans are candidates from the United Russia party [Putin’s ruling party], while 40 are from the CPRF. The 7x7—Gorizontalnaya Rossiya [Horizontal Russia] news outlet has highlighted the biographies of some of these candidates.
The Vyorstka media outlet conducted a study on the changes in the number of political prisoners over the 25 years of Putin's rule. This study was a part of a special project by the Memorial international human rights organization.