Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 1-2, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Russia’s Presidential Administration has begun instructing deputy governors on how to prepare citizens for the end of the war against Ukraine. The administration assumes that "the end of the special military operation will come, and it is important to be ready for it," wrote the Kommersant daily newspaper. Officials aim to shape public perception of the war's outcome as a victory. Regional authorities have been instructed to focus on convincing the "calm majority," rather than "angry patriots" or "liberals," that the war achieved Vladimir Putin’s stated goals: the "denazification" and "demilitarization" of Ukraine, along with the retention of "new territories." Additionally, the administration has urged regional governments to prioritize the rehabilitation and employment of war veterans. The Kremlin reportedly fears that a sharp drop in income and dissatisfaction with life after military service could drive veterans toward criminal activity or protest movements. Officials emphasized the importance of preventing negative attitudes toward veterans within society, including through public education campaigns to explain that not all veterans suffer from PTSD.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

The Ministry of Defense has announced that it has trained 300,000 contract soldiers over the past year for the war against Ukraine. The effort involved establishing seven instructor companies and eight training companies specializing in specific skills, said Colonel General Ivan Buvaltsev, head of the Main Directorate for Combat Training of the Russian Armed Forces, in an article for Krasnaya Zvezda [Red Star, official newspaper of the Ministry of Defense], as reported by Kommersant. The reserve regiments focus on preparing assault troops, as well as drone and unmanned surface vessel operators, with training emphasizing individual preparation for new recruits. A year ago, then-Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu stated that nine reserve regiments had been established in Russia, and by December 2023, he reported that each group of troops had a dedicated reserve regiment.

Journalists from Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, an independent Russian investigative media outlet] calculated that the average regional sign-up bonus for contracts with the MoD increased more than fivefold over the past year, reaching 897,000 rubles [$8,400] by the end of December. On average, across the country, these bonuses were raised every three days. In the Sverdlovsk region, the payout increased 75 times within a year. Including the national bonus of 400,000 rubles [$3,750], a contract soldier now receives an average of 1.3 million rubles [$12,200] upon enlisting. This amount equals what an average Russian earning the country’s median salary would make in about a year and a half. By the end of 2024, all 85 Russian federal subjects were offering regional bonuses, compared to 11 regions that did not provide them at the beginning of the year. The minimum payout for signing a contract is 800,000 rubles [$7,490], while the record-breaking bonus of 3 million rubles [$28,100] is paid in the Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Previously, Vazhnyye Istorii estimated that, on average, 13% of regional budgets allocated for social benefits are now being spent on bonuses for contract soldiers.

Journalists Olya Churakova and Sonya Groysman analyzed Yandex [popular Russian search engine] statistics and discovered a sharp rise in search queries asking, "how to send my husband to war." This surge occurred after regional and federal sign-up bonuses for contracts with the MoD were significantly increased during the summer. While such queries averaged fewer than 200 per month across Russia as of July 2023, their frequency rose 20-fold within a year, reaching 5,000 by mid-2024.

Dmitry Shipunov, a 21-year-old draftee from Penza who was forcibly held in a draft office since Nov. 18, has been released after two weeks, according to the Movement of Conscientious Objectors [a human rights organization supporting those who refuse to perform military service], citing the young man's relatives. Shipunov was released under a written undertaking to appear at a court hearing to appeal the draft board's decision declaring him fit for military service. While legal proceedings are ongoing, human rights activists report that the conscript is currently safe. Shipunov's relatives have also filed a complaint with the Military Prosecutor's Office regarding the forced detention.

The Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel reports that during a roundup of conscripts in a Moscow metro station, a young man with a military ID for a reserve lieutenant was detained. Together with other conscripts, he was taken to the Ugreshskaya military collection point but was later released. According to Idite Lesom!, this case proves that during roundups, "they grab everyone indiscriminately."

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Southern District Military Court has upheld the sentence against contract soldier Aleksey Khnaev, who had previously been sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony for refusing to obey an order and going AWOL. Khnaev left his unit, stationed in Chechnya [Russia's constituent republic] and went to Kurgan but returned to duty voluntarily several weeks later. Despite returning, Khnaev refused to carry out a combat order to deploy to the "special military operation" zone while at the unit's headquarters. Although he later agreed to go to the frontline after the verdict, the command deemed his release inexpedient. In 2019, Khnaev had been sentenced to two and a half years in a penal settlement for drunk driving; at the time of the sentencing, he had just over three months left to serve.

A court in Tyumen has sentenced a mobilized soldier to six years in a penal colony for going AWOL. The soldier was supposed to return to his unit on July 28, 2023, after being granted sick leave but he continued his treatment at a hospital. It was not until October 27 that he contacted a draft office, from which he was sent to the commandant's office. During the court proceedings, the soldier was assigned to a military unit in Tyumen. However, on Aug. 23, 2024, he escaped from there. Two months later, police detained him and placed him in a pre-trial detention center. The soldier still faces proceedings for the second escape. According to journalists, after the verdict, he plans to sign a contract and go to war.

The Krasnodar Regional Court has sentenced a resident of Yalta to 14 years of imprisonment for treason for providing information about one of the two Beriev A-50 AEW&C aircraft shot down in early 2024. According to the court, in January 2024, while near Sochi Airport, the man observed the takeoff of an early warning and control aircraft. Believing that such information might interest Ukrainian intelligence services, he shared details about the aircraft’s location and takeoff time "with the intention of shooting it down."

Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta] has calculated that since 2010, over 35,000 protocols have been issued, and more than 1,000 cases have been initiated in Russia for posts, images and comments on social networks. According to the publication, the number of repressive articles over 14 years has increased from 5 to 25, half of which are criminal. Since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, social media posts have been the reason for about half of the cases under articles on "defamation of the Russian army" and military "fakes." In 2022, 43% of such misdemeanor and criminal cases were initiated due to posts and images on social networks, and in 2024—57%. The main targets have been the VKontakte social network and Telegram, whose data are actively used by law enforcement through leaked databases and special software.

Assistance

The Ministry of Labor has proposed providing paid sick leave to participants in the war against Ukraine who have not yet recovered or have fallen ill before returning to work. Under current regulations, an employer is entitled to terminate the employment of an individual whose contract was suspended due to his participation in the war if the individual fails to return to work within three months of his withdrawal from the frontline. According to the Ministry of Labor's proposal, if the dismissed soldier has not recovered or has fallen ill within the designated three-month period, he will be entitled to apply for sick leave, which will be paid for by the Pension and Social Insurance Fund. Additionally, the suspension of the employment contract will be automatically extended for the duration of the sick leave.

In the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], children of the war participants will receive one-time payments of up to 100,000 rubles [$940] upon enrollment in the region's secondary vocational education institutions.

In Moscow, students at the Timiryazev Academy are being urged to donate money to support the "special military operation."

Children and Educational System

Schoolchildren and college students in the Vladimir region are being forced to participate in military training. According to a student from Vladimir College of Economics and Technology who spoke to Dovod [independent Russian media outlet], those who refuse are threatened with "problems."

The Govorit NeMoskva [NonMoscow Is Speaking] Telegram channel reported on how government-controlled media and propagandists use "heartwarming" stories with children welcoming soldiers in Russia's frontline regions.

Miscellaneous

Yulai Ilyasov, the head of the Kuyurgazinsky district in Bashkortostan, who had previously faced dismissal demands from the prosecutor's office due to a "loss of trust," has returned to his position after participating in the war. Governor of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov awarded him the General Shaimuratov Order.

Fifty clerics of the Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk and Bryansk metropolises have completed specialized training. The chaplains were taught how to act properly in mined areas, land navigation and camouflage techniques.