Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 27–28, 2023, CIT volunteer summary

The Russian State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly] continues working on twenty new bills on draft deferral eligibility. Head of the Duma’s Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov stated that the details are currently being worked out: “Our first priority, of course, are the families with disabled children, families with three children, and others. They are important and deserve our attention.”

Verification of military records at Russian higher education institutions continues. The mobilization office at the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics requested that its graduate students provide their “military record details” in order to “analyze the possibility of issuing draft deferral certificates” based on them. While graduate students are eligible for draft deferral, many of them will complete their studies this year and some will be expelled based on the winter exam results.

Russians continue receiving draft notices: a Moscow musician has been summoned to a draft office to receive his mobilization orders. According to journalists, a draft notice was delivered to him on Jan. 25. The man’s relatives found the notice. The document requests that the 49-year-old Muscovite appears at the draft office on Feb. 13. The man does not have a military specialty, has never served in the army after being declared unfit to serve due to spinal health issues, and did not attend the military training program at college.

According to the Zakroi za mnoi Tver [Close Tver behind me] Telegram channel, mobilized soldiers from the Tver region must sign a document to confirm their support of the “special military operation”, express their readiness to carry out combat missions until the end of the war and also exclude the possibility of being captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To confirm this information the channel publishes a photograph of that document. The authenticity of the document has not yet been confirmed.

Relatives of mobilized soldiers from the Lipetsk, Vladimir and Oryol regions recorded a video message to the authorities. According to them, after four months of service, mobilized soldiers were taken to an unknown location without any corresponding paperwork. There, people in military uniform demanded from the soldiers to storm the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, threatening with criminal prosecution if they refused. Also they were left without supplies. Relatives of mobilized soldiers from the Tyumen Kedr battalion complain about the lack of food, uniforms and weapons among mobilized soldiers. According to relatives, the commander of the unit does not take any part in solving the problems of the servicemen.

A Russian and “DPR” citizen mobilized on Sept. 30 was forced to enlist as a volunteer in the draft office. While his military ID was still pending to be issued, the man was sent to the front line. On Nov. 10 he was taken prisoner, and on Jan. 8 returned from captivity as a result of POW exchange. During the whole term of service, the man has not received any payments at all. He is now trying to find out whether he is entitled to wages and combat benefits. He is also seeking advice on what his future steps should be, as his military unit does not respond to his queries.

The UK Ministry of Defence declared that Russia had highly likely suffered more than 300 casualties in a strike on troop accommodation at Makiivka near the city of Donetsk. The majority were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded. Meanwhile, two more soldiers killed in Makiivka were identified: Vladimir Tolstov and Maksim Yershov. Thus, according to the count kept by the CIT volunteers, names of 96 servicemen killed in Makiivka have been identified so far.

Compensation payments that families are entitled to in the event of the death of a serviceman may cause disputes and conflicts. This is what has happened to the parents of Stepan Biryukov, who was mobilized in Sept. 2022 and killed in the war on Jan. 1, 2023. His mother refuses to share the compensation with his father who left the family when Stepan was only three years old.

The authorities of the Perm region [federal subject of Russia] allocated 700 million roubles [cca $10 mln] for supporting participants of the war in Ukraine and their families. These funds comprise lump sum payments to participants of the war, financial assistance for children [of the participants], financial assistance in case of getting injured or killed.

A solemn ceremony of introducing the "Hero’s Desks" took place at one of the schools of Borzia in the Zabaykalsky region [federal subject of Russia], which were dedicated to the local residents killed in the war in Ukraine. During the ceremony, a deputy head of the local administration addressed journalists: "When our guys have to consider all pros and cons, they make the right decision. They sacrifice their lives."

As reported by Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Center for the youth patriotic upbringing will be established in Belgorod. There will be 21 instructors employed in the Center. According to Gladkov, each of them [instructors] has obtained higher education and served at the RuAF, besides some of them have state awards, battle experience and experience of dealing with youth.