Mobilization in Russia for Aug. 6-8, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Russian military commanders now have the authority to send their subordinates to detention facilities for serious disciplinary offenses, such as speaking to the press or using smartphones, without the need for a court decision. This change comes after Vladimir Putin signed the corresponding bill into law. The State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly] passed the bill last week, shortly after its Defense Committee reworked the legislation and added a last-minute amendment. The Federation Council [upper house of the Federal Assembly] approved it the following day.

The federal government has instructed the Ministry of Finance to immediately fund a tranche of 1.8 billion rubles [$20.98 million] to pay for the relocation of Kursk region residents, stated First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov during a meeting with Putin, adding that authorities had received assistance requests from 2,500 families and plan, as a result, to issue relocation certificates for a total amount of 11 billion rubles [$128 million]. In May, Aleksey Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, indicated that around 450 families had been relocated in 2023 from areas regularly shelled from Ukrainian territory. More than 2 billion rubles [$23.31 million] had been spent on this. During a meeting with Smirnov, Putin promised that displaced residents of the Kursk region will receive 10,000 rubles [$120] in compensation.

The Vyorstka media outlet points out that since 2022, Russian authorities have allocated more than 3 billion rubles [$34.97 million] for the construction of fortifications in the border areas of the Kursk region. Its journalists believe that these fortifications were never constructed.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Authorities in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region–Yugra have increased the sign-up bonus for concluding a contract with the Ministry of Defense to participate in the war in Ukraine to 1.3 million rubles [$15,200]. Additionally, those who sign contracts in the city of Surgut will receive an extra 150,000 rubles [$1,750] from the city authorities. This means that with the national sign-up bonus, one could receive a total of 1.85 million rubles [$21,600] in the region. In the second year, in addition to their salary, those who sign a contract in Yugra will be paid 900,000 rubles [$10,500], and upon completing the contract, they will receive another 100,000 rubles [$1,170].

Authorities in the Sverdlovsk region have increased the sign-up bonus for concluding a contract with the MoD by 100,000 rubles [$1,170]. Starting Sept. 1, the bonus will amount to 500,000 rubles [$5,830], bringing the total payout to 900,000 rubles [$10,500]. Additionally, the region provides a one-time payment of 20,000 rubles [$230] to the serviceman's family and an additional 20,000 rubles for each child.

In Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], the regional sign-up bonus has been increased from 200,000 rubles [$2,330] to 500,000 rubles [$5,830]. Additionally, all new contract soldiers are reportedly set to receive 100,000 rubles [$1,170] from regional businesses. Taking into account the national bonus, it is now possible to receive up to 1 million rubles [$11,700] upon signing a contract in the republic.

A photo of a woman in military uniform was featured on a banner promoting contract-based military service on the website of the Kabansky District Administration in Buryatia. According to the Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet, this marks the first time a woman’s image has been used in such advertisements, which previously only featured men. When contacted, the military contract recruitment office in Ulan-Ude confirmed that women can also sign up for military service contracts and will receive the same payments as men.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Aleksandr Pishchalin from the Rostov region, Denis Butaryov from the Astrakhan region, Pavel Nikitin from the Perm region [Russia’s federal subject] and Maksim Ryabotunov from the Murmansk region.

Additionally, it has been reported that Semyon Kiskorov, a mobilized resident of the Kemerovo region, has been killed. In December 2023, Kiskorov revealed that his brother, Gennady, who was also mobilized, was tied to a tree by order of their commanders with the intention of forcing him to deploy to forward positions. Following the torture, Gennady agreed to carry out combat tasks. The brothers were forced to retract their statements and stop communicating with the media. Eventually, contact with them was lost. They had previously been denied alternative civilian service. The circumstances surrounding Semyon Kiskorov’s death are unknown.

Furthermore, Aldar Dylykov, a 24-year-old paratrooper from Buryatia, has been reported killed in the war. He had been serving since 2020 and was involved in the war from the outset of the invasion of Ukraine. In July 2022, Dylykov and six other paratroopers from the 11th Air Assault Brigade submitted reports stating their refusal to fight in Ukraine. At that time, they informed the media that their reports were not accepted and that the command had threatened to reassign them to an assault unit.

According to the tally by the Sota media outlet, at least 10 lawyers have been killed in the war.

Another 18-year-old contract soldier, Sergey Finagin from the Novgorod region, has been reported killed in the war. Finagin was born on April 2, 2006, enlisted for contract-based military service in April 2024 and died on July 27. He was initially not accepted into the military during the regular biannual conscription campaign due to health issues, after which he signed a contract.

One day after the capture of 21-year-old conscript Maksim Hyamyalaynen in the Kursk region, no representatives from the Ministry of Defense have contacted his family, according to a friend familiar with the situation who spoke to Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet]. The conscript's parents learned of their son's capture from a video recorded by Ukrainians. Journalists from the Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet interviewed the family. According to Hyamyalaynen's stepmother, the conscripts spent four days under fire and repeatedly asked their commanders to evacuate them, but were denied. The young man's family is now demanding his return home.

The family of the second captured conscript, 22-year-old Danil Kolesnikov, told the 7x7—Gorizontalnaya Rossiya [Horizontal Russia] news outlet that they managed to contact the military commissariat. There, they learned that Kolesnikov is currently being held in a prison in Sumy and were promised that he would be prioritized for exchange. Kolesnikov had just over two months left until his discharge from military service.

Vyorstka spoke with relatives of seven conscript soldiers who were near the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region during an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to them, some of the conscripts have already been evacuated to the rear, but many are still awaiting evacuation. Among the dozens, or possibly hundreds, of soldiers who were at the border at the time of the attack, there are wounded, dead and captured soldiers. Relatives are trying to unite to obtain information about MiAs from the MoD.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel clarifies whether conscripts can be sent to a combat zone. By law, conscripted military personnel can only be deployed to armed conflict zones after serving at least four months of military service and completing training in their military specialties. A servicemember can also be transferred to a new place of military service from one unit to another, and in such cases, a conscript can be moved to a new location without his consent. Conscripts may also be sent on assignments to perform duties outside their unit home base, which can last up to 5 or 30 days. Refusing to obey an order can result in disciplinary action, including disciplinary arrest or criminal prosecution.

Commanders have asked the relatives of Russian soldiers from the 394th Regiment to collect money for body bags, with a target amount of 25,000 rubles [$290]. Previously, money for body bags was collected from residents of the Irkutsk region.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Astra Telegram channel published a copy of a BOLO notice for Nikolay Kyrtynmay, a serviceman from the 104th Air Assault Regiment, who is suspected of committing murder in the occupied village of Krynky in the Kherson region. The notice indicates that he may be armed. Astra has confirmed his identity; he is a resident of the Krasnoyarsk region and was previously convicted of theft.

In the Sverdlovsk region, Konstantin Markov, a participant in the war with Ukraine, stabbed his ex-wife Tatyana and shot her new husband on Aug. 7. The incident occurred when Tatyana arrived to pick up their daughter. Tatyana's husband was injured in the face but survived. Markov fled the scene, and the police have since launched a manhunt to capture him, but he has not yet been found. According to Markov's mother, the couple divorced two years ago, after which he went to war.

The Irkutsk Garrison Military Court has sentenced serviceman Denis Sokolov to 11 years in a maximum-security penal colony for desertion during the mobilization period and murder. Sokolov had left his unit without permission and returned to the Irkutsk region, where he found employment. One day, while intoxicated, he killed an acquaintance by pushing him off an eighth-floor balcony.

The Southern District Military Court has upheld the sentence against contract soldier Renat Devirov, who was found guilty of assaulting a female worker at the central city hospital. In September 2023, due to a family conflict, Devirov struck the woman at least ten times on the head. She was diagnosed with a closed head injury. The investigation deemed this as minor health harm. Devirov was fined the minimum amount of 15,000 rubles [$170]—the court considered his combat veteran status as a mitigating factor.

The same court has denied the Storm-Z unit fighter Mikhail Sumarokov a payment of 3 million rubles [$35,000] for an injury sustained during the war with Ukraine. The appellate court agreed with the lower court's conclusions that members of Storm units are not considered servicemen. In February 2023, Sumarokov was sentenced to a year and four months in a penal colony for causing grievous bodily harm. In April, he signed a contract with the MoD, and on Sept. 4, he sustained a serious injury. He was treated in a hospital and later received 300,000 rubles [$3,500]. Sumarokov demanded a certificate of injury, as injured servicemen are entitled to a payment of 3 million rubles [$35,000]. The issuance of documents was denied because he is not officially considered a serviceman within the MoD.

In the Sverdlovsk region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained 18-year-old Vadim Tomilov from Irbit on charges of attempting to participate in a terrorist organization. Tomilov was allegedly reported by his own parents, who contacted the FSB after learning about their son's plans.

In the Stavropol region, 23-year-old barista Paul Lukashevich was detained for allegedly recruiting two acquaintances to participate in the activities of the "Freedom of Russia Legion." A criminal case has been initiated against him for recruitment and inducement to terrorism.

The Southern District Military Court has sentenced Tetiana Kliuchko from the Zaporizhzhia region to 12 years in a penal colony for participating in a terrorist organization, possession of explosives and preparing a terrorist attack. According to investigators, in April 2023, Kliuchko left an explosive device in the mailbox of an apartment in occupied Enerhodar. Another individual, who allegedly supplied her with explosives, was also detained. Both are identified as members of an unnamed terrorist community supervised by a Ukrainian Ministry of Defense intelligence officer.

The same court has sentenced Nikolay Zabirko, a Ukrainian, to five and a half years in a maximum-security penal colony for illegal acquisition and possession of explosives, and attempted terrorist attack. Prosecutors had initially sought a 13-year sentence. According to investigators, in the summer of 2022, Zabirko, acting on orders from the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU], gathered information and prepared to detonate a vehicle belonging to Konstantin Ivashchenko, Russia's appointed "mayor" of the occupied city of Mariupol. Zabirko was subsequently arrested after receiving a package containing remote control to a detonation device from the SBU.

Mikhail Baranov, a top manager at the Lukhovitsy Aircraft Plant near Moscow, has been sentenced to nine years on charges of treason, forming a criminal group, large-scale theft and attempted arms smuggling. His arrest became known in September 2022. The court also ordered him to pay nearly 5 million rubles [$58,300] in damages to the United Aircraft Corporation. According to intelligence services, Baranov, while serving as the plant's quality director, photographed classified drawings of combat aircraft and shared them with a Ukrainian citizen working at the Odesa Aircraft Plant. BBC News Russian previously reported that Baranov had worked at the MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation in 2019.

A former Wagner Group mercenary threatened political prisoner Yegor Balazeykin with murder during a convoy to a penal colony. Following the incident, Balazeykin was moved to a separate cell. Earlier, he had been sentenced to six years in a penal colony for attempting to set fire to a draft office.

Azov Brigade Deputy commanding officer Sviatoslav Palamar has published a report from a Ukrainian forensic expert who conducted an autopsy on Oleksandr Ishchenko, a Ukrainian PoW from the Azov Brigade who died in a pre-trial detention center in Rostov. The report states that the 55-year-old Ishchenko's death was caused by shock, multiple rib fractures, and a blunt chest trauma resulting from "contact with a blunt object." The date of death is listed as July 22, 2024. Simultaneously, Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, reported that more than 95% of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia are subjected to torture. They are beaten with metal rods and tortured with electricity.

The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative has identified 5,340 victims of enforced disappearances in Ukraine, with 4% of these cases involving children. Human rights defenders believe that Russia is deliberately and systematically engaging in this practice, which includes arrests, detentions, abductions and deprivation of liberty. The state denies the disappearance and conceals information about missing persons. Human rights activists point out that those abducted may be held in captivity, in prisons or in basements without being formally charged.

Assistance

Authorities in the Yaroslavl region have granted military personnel and the families of soldiers killed in the "special military operation" the right to receive land plots from the state. Additionally, first-grade school children in Nizhny Novgorod, whose parents are participating in the war, will receive a payment of 10,000 rubles [$120].

Children

In Arkhangelsk, military personnel returning from Ukraine attended a master class on conducting lectures. According to the governor's office staff, "Veterans of the "special military operation" will be involved in the "patriotic education" of the youth of the Arkhangelsk region."

Miscellaneous

In the Kirov region, the administration of the Svechinsky district is purchasing firewood for participants in the war in Ukraine and their relatives "as an additional measure of social support."

In the Volgograd region, 113 participants in the war in Ukraine and their family members have been nominated for elections to local self-government bodies. For the upcoming September elections, 15 participants of the "special military operation," 59 mothers and fathers, 24 spouses and 15 "other relatives" of those fighting in Ukraine have put forward their candidacies.

Longreads

Russian soldiers have been increasingly trying to resign through the court. As Vyorstka found out, several hundred people have sought dismissal in this way during the war, with at least nine people managing to win such cases. In an additional five cases, judges have required employers to review dismissal requests more closely. Soldiers unable to resign often try to improve their service conditions by requesting transfers to other units.

Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] reported that by studying portraits of dozens of soldiers killed from Salsk displayed in a local museum, journalists were able to identify several soldiers whose deaths had previously gone unreported.

Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta] shares the stories of Nepalese residents who went to fight in Ukraine on the side of Russia in pursuit of big money.