Mobilization in Russia for Feb. 18-20, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

The State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] passed a bill in consecutive second and third readings that imposes up to five years in prison for property damage. The bill adds political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred as a potential motive to the Criminal Code article on the deliberate destruction or damage of property. The bill’s authors argued that Russia has seen a surge in attacks on the property of citizens and organizations that display "visual information" supporting the "special military operation." They also cited the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which has recorded over 60 instances of arson targeting draft offices and "other government agencies."

Lawmakers propose to streamline the process for granting unemployment benefits to military personnel returning from the war against Ukraine. Members of the State Assembly of Russia’s constituent Republic of Bashkortostan plan to introduce a bill in the State Duma to amend the federal law on employment promotion. Former mobilized and contract soldiers, as well as volunteer fighters, would no longer need to submit past income statements when registering at job centers. They would automatically receive the maximum allowance for a new duration of twelve months, up from the current six.

Members of the State Council of Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan plan to introduce a bill in the State Duma to make it easier for war veterans to stand for election. The proposed legislation would allow service members who cannot leave their duty stations to submit their formal consent to run for office through a third party. Currently, candidates must appear in person before the election commission, except in cases of illness or arrest.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

In the Zabaykalsky region, the regional sign-up bonus for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense has been increased from 400,000 rubles [$4,440] to 600,000 rubles [$6,660]. Taking into account the national bonus, recruits in the region will now receive a total of 1 million rubles [$11,100] upon signing.

A new group of contract soldiers has been sent to war from the Pskov region, with 12 out of 16 recruits coming from African countries. In total, at least 63 African nationals have been deployed from the region, 18 of them in 2025.

In the city of Saratov, law enforcement officers conducted a raid, checking more than 30 people. Ten of them, who had received Russian passports but had not registered for military service, were issued draft notices.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

According to the Ukrainian Hochu Naiti [I Want to Find] project, it has received 60,600 requests since the beginning of 2024. In January 2025 alone, the project recorded 8,548 new appeals—the highest monthly figure in its history. Additionally, the number of requests to locate missing soldiers in the Kursk region increased by 29% over the past month, the project claims. In December 2024, Deputy Minister of Defense Anna Tsivilyova stated that relatives of Russian soldiers had already submitted 48,000 DNA tests to help identify the remains of their family members.

At least 25 Russian conscript soldiers were killed in the Kursk region following a breakthrough by the Ukrainian army, according to the Vyorstka media outlet, which analyzed media reports and obituaries posted on social media. All of them died between August and September 2024, but news of many of their deaths only emerged in recent months. The average age of the fallen soldiers was 20 years, and they were conscripted from 18 different regions.

Former conscript soldiers who served in border areas have complained about not receiving their entitled payments. In a conversation with the Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel, they reported that starting on Feb. 13, some conscripts who had served along the Russia-Ukraine border in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions began receiving payments of up to 716,000 rubles [$7,950]. However, more than 200 soldiers have yet to receive any money. One former conscript stated that he was supposed to receive 480,000 rubles [$5,330] upon discharge but ultimately received nothing. The conscripts have contacted the Military Prosecutor's Office, the Social Fund and regional and republic-level enlistment offices, but their efforts have been unsuccessful.

Georgy Sedykh, a conscript from the 90th Tank Division, reported that his military unit in Chebarkul signed a contract on his behalf without his consent. He was conscripted in November 2024, and in December, a recruiter arrived at his unit, persistently urging all conscripts to submit a request for reassignment to another unit. The recruiter assured them that this request would not obligate them to sign a contract. At the end of December, Sedykh submitted a request to transfer to the artillery division, but a month later, 1.9 million rubles [$21,100] were deposited into his account. His sister told journalists that he never signed a contract and had never even seen one, yet his command is now making it difficult for him to annul it. Previously, the prosecutor's office declared other conscripts' contracts from the same unit in Chebarkul fraudulent, but the command has refused to void them.

In Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], nine graduates of a special-needs school for children with intellectual disabilities were sent to war, three of whom have been killed. The Turuntaevo special-needs boarding school has 111 students with intellectual disabilities. The school’s VKontakte social media page regularly posts content promoting the war and so-called patriotism.

During the mobilization in 2022, at least 2,207 people from the Tomsk region were drafted for the war, and at least 7,500 more went to the frontline as volunteer fighters, according to Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet]. This information comes from a leak by the Yellow Drift hacker group, which published internal documents from the Tomsk region’s Department of Social Protection, responsible for recording payments to mobilized soldiers and volunteer fighters. As of Jan. 17, 2025, out of the total number of volunteer fighters and mobilized soldiers, 902 have been killed and 2,556 have been injured. By the end of 2024, only 42 people were recognized as disabled due to the "special military operation." The documents also indicate that in 2024, Tomsk region authorities spent more than 1.6 billion rubles [$17.76 million] on sign-up bonuses, material support, and compensation for injuries, deaths and other disbursements to war participants. At the same time, ex-convicts who fought in the Storm-Z unit were denied payments, citing orders from the commander of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division, according to which Storm-Z is not classified as a volunteer unit, and its members sign "agreements" rather than formal military contracts.

Ex-convicts recruited for the war against Ukraine are increasingly being declared AWOL, even if they have gone missing or killed in action or deployed on combat missions. The Vyorstka media outlet has discovered dozens of such cases through social media reports and interviews with soldiers’ relatives. Journalists found that reports of ex-convicts in the Russian army being declared AWOL on mass began appearing since January 2025, with at least 32 such cases involving servicemen from the 95378 military unit attached to the 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Families of the affected soldiers have petitioned Putin to remove the AWOL status. Some have also filed complaints with the Military Prosecutor's Office, one of which describes punishments, "pits" and threats of execution. Relatives and human rights activists suspect financial motives behind this practice, as soldiers declared AWOL have their monetary allowances suspended.

A father from Pervouralsk, whose son was killed during the invasion, has complained to Maxim Ivanov, member of the State Duma from the Sverdlovsk region, about a clerical error in his son's death certificate. Due to a typo in the date, documents show that his son died two weeks before signing his military contract, though in reality he had served for two months before his death. As a result of this discrepancy, the father has been unable to receive compensation payments, and both his son’s military unit and the enlistment office have ignored his requests to correct the mistake.

A mother from the Krasnodar region, whose son Ilya Arnold was sent on an assault mission and later thrown into a pit and held in a basement near Donetsk, was told that there are no basements for military personnel in the "DPR." Officials claimed her son was being kept in a "specially equipped bomb shelter designed to protect soldiers from enemy drone attacks and artillery." They further insisted the bomb shelter was "equipped for comfortable living."

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

Sergey Kochetkov, a war participant previously convicted of theft, robbery and armed robbery, attacked three schoolgirls in Ufa. While intoxicated, he broke into the girls' apartment. When they attempted to drive the stranger away, he began pulling their hair and punched one of the schoolgirls in the face. The girls' screams alerted neighbors, who came into the hallway and scared off the assailant. Law enforcement officers identified him almost immediately, and during his arrest, the man also attacked one of the police officers. Kochetkov was arrested and sent to a pre-trial detention center, facing up to seven years in prison. In 2023, to avoid punishment for another crime, he signed a military contract and went to war.

On Feb. 18 in the occupied village of Khmelnytske in the Zaporizhzhia region, a 32-year-old Russian serviceman stole a car and fled with weapons to an undisclosed location. The fugitive, who is now being sought, was previously convicted of theft, car theft, breaking and entering and rape.

In Saint Petersburg, local resident Yevgeny Zamanov was detained near a metro station as part of a criminal case for going AWOL. Zamanov had previously stated that in May 2024, he planned to sign a contract with the MoD to pay for his girlfriend’s surgery. He submitted an application but later changed his mind and never returned to the recruitment facility. Six months later, he learned that he was on a wanted list. At the draft office, he was told that he had been receiving a salary as a contract soldier for the past six months. Zamanov denies this. According to him, officials at the draft office threatened to forcibly take him to a military unit and send him to an assault unit.

Also in Saint Petersburg, Yaroslav Palamarchuk, an employee of a draft office, has been placed in a pre-trial detention center. He is accused of taking bribes to help military personnel remain in the rear. According to investigators, in July 2024, Palamarchuk offered to assist in a future appointment for a man wishing to sign a contract. For a bribe of 600,000 rubles [$6,660], the man was to be assigned to a position away from the line of contact. The contract soldier agreed. Investigators believe that Palamarchuk later used the same scheme to receive an additional 1.6 million rubles [$17,800] from five more men. Palamarchuk is accused of mediation in bribery, committed in a group in conspiracy and involving a large amount.

A court in Vladimir has fined contract soldier Denis Vonotkov 200,000 rubles [$2,220] for violating weapon handling rules, resulting in grievous bodily harm through negligence. During a tactical training session at a training range, Vonotkov paired simulation cartridges together, increasing the force of the subsequent explosion. Additionally, he failed to secure the hazardous area and "miscalculated the distance before detonating two simulation cartridges" near two cadets. As a result, the soldiers sustained serious injuries.

In Murmansk, police officers Artyom Arhipov and Aleksandr Ivanov were sentenced to a two-year penal colony on probation for failing to execute orders after a fire was set to the draft office during their duty two years ago. During the arson, the officers on guard took a short break away from their post of duty. According to Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], this is the only known case where law enforcement officers have been punished for allowing a draft office to be set on fire. Two friends, Aleksandr Levadny and Ilya Sadkov, were also convicted for this arson and received sentences of 17 and 14 years of imprisonment respectively. Mediazona reports that the men were allegedly tortured after their arrest.

As reported by the Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet, the case against a 16-year-old young man accused of arson at the United Russia [Putin’s ruling party] office in Arkhangelsk in December of last year has been reclassified from deliberate damage to someone else's property by arson to an act of terror.

The FSB announced the arrest of a suspect preparing an act of sabotage on the railway in Sochi. The detained individual is a local born in 1980. According to the intelligence services, he communicated with representatives of a pro-Ukrainian terrorist organization via the Telegram messaging application and received orders to set fire to a relay cabinet. He allegedly prepared three homemade incendiary devices but was apprehended by law enforcement officers before he could carry out the arson.

In Omsk, the FSB detained a 20-year-old local who has been charged with treason. According to law enforcement officers, the young man communicated with representatives of Ukrainian intelligence services and transferred digital currency to the crypto wallet of a "Ukrainian terrorist organization." He also submitted applications to join "armed formations fighting against Russia." He was apprehended while attempting to cross into Ukrainian territory.

In the Khabarovsk region, the FSB detained a 20-year-old man from the town of Bikin on suspicion of working for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The young man allegedly provided Ukrainian intelligence with information about the equipment of military units in the region. He has been placed in a pre-trial detention center, and a case has been initiated against him for "confidential" cooperation with a foreign state or organization.

In the Saratov region, FSB officers shot dead a man during an attempted arrest. According to law enforcement, the Russian citizen, born in 1976, was planning an act of terror against a Saratov official. Local media suggest that the target may have been the region’s governor, Roman Busargin. The man allegedly monitored the governor’s travel routes and gathered intelligence on a military airfield in Engels. The intelligence service claims he was recruited last year, underwent training in Kyiv and later arrived in the Saratov region.

A court in Khakassia [Russia’s constituent republic] sentenced a Ukrainian citizen to six years in a penal colony for preparing a terrorist attack, TASS [Russian state-owned news agency] reported, citing the regional branch of the FSB. The report provided no further details.

A resident of the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region has been sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security penal colony for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, as well as an attempted terrorist attack. According to the court, Yury Prasolov planned to blow up the administration building in the town of Tavriysk.

A court in Chita sentenced a local resident to 18 years in a penal colony on treason charges. The convict had allegedly managed a Telegram channel linked to Ukrainian intelligence services, which authorities described as promoting "anti-Russian propaganda." He was also reported to have published personal details of Russian soldiers and their family members.

Ostorozhno, Novosti media outlet has reported that Artyom Konstantinov, a 25-year-old from Murmansk who was recently sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony for treason, had been threatened with criminal prosecution for nearly a decade due to his contacts with members of Right Sector. In 2017, under threat of prosecution, he was allegedly pressured into joining Alexei Navalny’s Murmansk office to report on its activities to the police. According to a friend of Konstantinov, after the office was shut down, police pressured him to infiltrate other banned organizations and pass on information, but he refused. His refusal, the friend said, ultimately led to the treason case against him.

A Russian court sentenced two Ukrainian soldiers Dmytro Ihnatenko and Yurii Masliukov to 14 and 15 years in prison, respectively. The soldiers, captured in the Kursk region, were found guilty of committing an act of terror. According to investigators, on Aug. 29, the Ukrainian soldiers illegally crossed the Russian border carrying assault rifles, rifles and explosive devices. The soldiers allegedly intimidated the local population and repeatedly opened fire on Russian military personnel and civilians. The Ukrainian soldiers were captured on Sept. 26, 2024.

Assistance

Oleg Nikolaev, Head of Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic], signed a decree increasing the monthly stipend for children of military personnel from 2,000 rubles [$22] to 2,500 rubles [$28].

The Perm region [Russia’s federal subject] will spend 9 billion rubles [$99.91 million] to support participants in the war. In addition, military personnel will be hired for senior positions in state-owned companies and government agencies. Meanwhile, Buryatia spent more than 5 billion rubles [$55.51 million] to support the war effort.

Igor Kobzev, Governor of the Irkutsk region, signed a decree launching the "Heroes of Priangarye" program for war participants. This initiative follows other regions that have reported the implementation of local versions of the Time of Heroes personnel program.

The president of the Synergy Corporation, Vadim Lobov, announced the creation of a Coordination Center for the Retraining of the "special military operation" veterans based on private universities. A unified digital platform will be developed within the center, where military personnel and their family members can seek psychological support, educational program selection and employment assistance.

Miscellaneous

Russian human rights activist Alyona Popova has launched a project to assist victims of violence committed by military personnel suffering from PTSD. Wives, children and elderly parents are often the ones who suffer from violence committed by former servicemen. Popova, together with a team of lawyers, plans to provide consultations to victims on how to file a police report, submit a court appeal, request state protection and assist in finding lawyers.

Belgorod refugees have asked the authorities to grant them the same payments as refugees from the Kursk region—65,000 rubles [$720] per month. Previously, Belgorod residents received a one-time payment of 75,000 rubles [$830] for partial property loss and 150,000 rubles [$1,670] for total loss.

Longreads

Sever.Realii tells the story of Georgy, a 44-year-old mobilized soldier who managed to defect and receive political asylum in Germany in 2025.

SOTAvision reports on of Dmitry Seleznyov, who was sentenced to 20 years for attempting to poison water intended for mobilized soldiers.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has published a story about how Russia continues to recruit Cuban citizens for the war.

The Sistema project has published a story about recruiters—people who have made it their profession to send others to their deaths.

T-Invariant reports on how the government is involving Russian students and schoolchildren in drone-making.