Mobilization in Russia for Dec. 16-17, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

In consecutive second and third readings, the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] passed a bill introducing a tiered system of stricter punishments for armed rebellion, scaled according to the level of involvement (read more). Lawmakers also passed amendments, which were introduced ahead of the bill’s second reading, that expand the definition of treason. The Criminal Code would gain a new article to classify voluntary participation in the activities of enemy state bodies and organizations that "openly threaten the security of the Russian Federation" as siding with the enemy. Moreover, the State Duma approved amendments that exclude the possibility of parole for individuals sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges, as well as for rebellion or acts of international terrorism. Finally, lawmakers passed a bill to ensure that participants of the war retain their jobs throughout the entire duration of their contract-based military service.

Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed recruiting individuals into the police force through mobilization without holding competitive examinations or conducting attestation. According to a draft decree, during mobilization, authorities could bring in reserve personnel for both vacant positions and wartime roles. Furthermore, they would not require recruits to undergo qualification testing, attestation or assessments of professional suitability for tasks involving physical force, special equipment or firearms. The Ministry stresses that only candidates without criminal records would be called up. As of Nov. 1, 2024, its agencies had a staffing shortfall of 173,800 personnel, or 18.8% of their authorized strength. The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel has published detailed guidance on who may face mobilization into the police and how the process may unfold. It notes that, unlike service in the armed forces, there is a wider range of justifiable reasons for discharge from police service after mobilization.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Moscow's military commissar Maksim Loktev announced that the fall regular conscription campaign in the city ended two weeks ahead of schedule. According to him, the city's draft offices "fully met the quota for the number of conscripts." However, human rights advocate Artyom Klyga claims Loktev's statement is false, asserting that the plan to conscript 8,000 men has certainly not been fulfilled and is unlikely to be. Klyga advises remaining vigilant, as the draft is still officially ongoing.
It is worth noting that the fall conscription campaign was marked by numerous roundups and illegal detentions, which we regularly reported in our summaries. Additionally, a special building for "draft dodgers" was organized at the Unified Military Recruitment Center.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

18-year-old Rinaz Gubaydullin from Tatarstan [Russia’s constituent republic], born on March 17, 2005, has died in the war with Ukraine. Just weeks before his 19th birthday, he signed a contract and was sent to the front. On Feb. 20, Gubaydullin departed from the town of Arsk and was almost immediately deployed to the frontline. The young man was killed on March 4, 2024, less than two weeks after signing the contract.

Relatives of conscript soldiers from the 90th Tank Division, who were tricked into signing contracts, have recorded an appeal for Vladimir Putin’s annual televised Direct Line Q&A session. Oksana, the mother of one serviceman, explained that her son had been conscripted for regular service and assigned to the 6th Tank Regiment in the town of Chebarkul. On the very same day, he signed a contract, although he had no intention of doing so. According to him, the contract was slipped in among other documents presented as mandatory paperwork. His family, along with relatives of other conscripts in similar situations, submitted numerous complaints to the Military Prosecutor's Office and military courts, seeking to declare the contract void, but to no avail. Previously, journalists repeatedly reported on cases of forced contract signing at the Chebarkul garrison.

Relatives of mobilized soldiers and contract soldiers have recorded an address to Putin, demanding demobilization. The women are calling for “immediate action and fairness” for their men, who are being forced to serve until the end of the war, unlike ex-convicts. They are also outraged that soldiers continue to be sent to assault units, despite their health conditions.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

Details have emerged regarding the arrest of Aleksey Lokotchenko, a member of the United Russia [Putin’s ruling party] faction in the State Assembly of Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic]. According to the Investigative Committee, Lokotchenko is implicated in a case of large-scale bribery mediation. Investigators allege that the lawmaker proposed to a local lawyer—who is accused of illegal banking activities—that she signed a fake contract with the Ministry of Defense to avoid criminal liability. Lokotchenko was allegedly tasked with delivering a 10.2 million ruble [$98,200] bribe to Defense Ministry officials. In return, the woman would be issued a military ID and fictitiously enrolled in a volunteer formation.

Yevgeny Kim, a participant in the invasion of Ukraine from Russia's constituent Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), has filed a lawsuit to defend his honor, dignity, and business reputation against local journalists. Kim objected to an article that "portrayed his combat achievements in a negative light" by referencing his criminal past. In 2018, Kim was sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraudulently acquiring apartments that were intended for orphans and elderly people through deception and threats. His actions harmed 25 people, with damages estimated at 21 million rubles [$202,100]. Kim was later recruited from a penal colony into the Wagner Group and sent to war.

In the town of Gatchina, Leningrad region, a 20-year-old female student has been detained for detonating a firecracker inside a bank branch in the town center. No one was injured by her actions, but a criminal case for hooliganism was initiated against her. According to investigators, the young woman became a victim of scammers. A similar incident occurred in Tikhvin, another town in the Leningrad region, where a 15-year-old schoolboy, following instructions from "handlers," attempted to set fire to a post office. The arson attempt failed, and the schoolboy was detained by the police. A canister of flammable liquid and matches were allegedly confiscated from him. A criminal case on charges of attempted destruction of property has been initiated.

In Saint Petersburg, a 24-year-old local resident threw a Molotov cocktail at the draft office in the city’s Central District. He was detained, and at the police station, he explained that he was "following instructions."

The Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported the detention of a Yalta resident suspected of cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence. He allegedly transmitted information about the location and movement of Russian military equipment on the peninsula. The detainee’s name was not disclosed, but in a video, the man claimed he had written to a Telegram channel run by Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, and had started carrying out specific tasks. A court has arrested the man for two months.

A court in Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic] has sentenced a local resident to 11 years of imprisonment for preparing an act of sabotage and desecrating a monument to a Hero of the USSR. According to prosecutors, in June 2023, the man contacted a Ukrainian citizen via messenger and agreed to carry out several tasks for money. In July, he poured black paint over a bust of Sergey Oreshkov, a Hero of the USSR. Later, the man allegedly began preparing sabotage on a railway but was detained. He was also charged with cooperating with a representative of a foreign state on a confidential basis.

In Nizhny Novgorod, the FSB detained a local man suspected of collaborating with Ukrainian intelligence services. The man allegedly proposed blowing up a building at one of the city's production facilities. A criminal case has been initiated against the detainee for cooperation with a foreign state on a confidential basis.

According to the Graty [Prison bars] Ukrainian independent media outlet, activist Iryna Horobtsova from Kherson, sentenced by a Russian court to 10.5 years in prison on espionage charges, is denied medical assistance. Meanwhile, Yegor Balazeykin, a high school student serving time for attempting to set fire to two draft offices, has been assigned a third-degree (moderate) disability. The young man suffers from autoimmune hepatitis, and his health condition has significantly deteriorated while in detention.

Assistance

Residents of the village of Pesteryovo in Buryatia are weaving camouflage nets in a community center without heating. The temperature in the building does not exceed 10°C [50°F], forcing people to "sing and weave in down jackets." Meanwhile, in the Saratov region, a sixth-grader gifted a motorcycle worth 95,000 rubles [$910] to participants in the invasion. The child claims he purchased the "New Year's gift" with his own savings.

Children and Educational System

In the city of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk region, after a schoolboy received a failing grade for refusing to write New Year's letters to Russian soldiers participating in the invasion of Ukraine, city authorities have warned schools that this practice is not allowed.

Miscellaneous

Andrey Panfyorov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Novosibirsk region, who fought in Ukraine, has been appointed as the regional business ombudsman. In 2022, he established and led the Vega Volunteer Battalion of the Novosibirsk region to participate in the war against Ukraine but soon returned to Novosibirsk.

Longreads

The Insider [independent Russian investigative media outlet] has published an article detailing the methods used by draft offices employees and Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] officers to meet conscription quotas, which include the use of stun guns on young men, forced dressing of them in uniforms and threats of criminal prosecution.

The Idel.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet has released material on how conscripts and civilians are coerced into signing contracts with the MoD. The Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet has reported the case of a mobilized man who escaped from his military unit through a hole in the fence, spent two years in hiding and ended up in France.