Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Lawmakers in the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] have introduced a bill that would add a new ground for leaving military service when a fourth or subsequent child is born. They propose to amend the third paragraph of Part 3, Article 51, of the Military Conscription and Military Service Act. Currently, contract soldiers with four or more dependent children can request discharge on "family circumstances," but only if their commanding officers permit it. By contrast, mobilized soldiers rarely receive that option. If the bill passes, fathers of four children—whether contract or mobilized—will gain a legal right to be discharged. Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has endorsed the proposal. At present, military personnel can leave service during mobilization only if they are declared unfit for duty (service fitness category "D"), if they reach the maximum service age, or if a court sentences them to actual imprisonment.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

The Vyorstka media outlet spoke with recruiters in the city of Samara responsible for enlisting people to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. They claim that increasing the sign-up bonus to 3.6 million rubles [$36,500] has led to a sharp rise in the number of people willing to sign a contract in the Samara region. "Of course, there are a lot of volunteers, the whole of Russia is coming," one recruiter said. According to them, nearly all new recruits from the region are being sent to assault units, which explains the record-high bonus. The training period for new contract soldiers is reportedly just two weeks. Some recruits are even deployed on combat missions after only two days of training, according to a serviceman. He stated that out of a group of 50 people, only two returned. Additionally, it has been announced that the 3.6 million ruble [$36,500] sign-up bonus will remain in effect in the region until Feb. 23. This was reported on Jan. 31 by the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Fedoryshchev.

Governor of the Saratov region Roman Busargin announced that the sign-up bonus established in the region last summer will increase from the current 500,000 rubles [$5,070] to 700,000 rubles [$7,100]. Combined with the national component of 400,000 rubles [$4,060], contract soldiers from the region heading to war will receive a total of 1.1 million rubles [$11,200].

In the city of Krasnoyarsk, the municipal sign-up bonus for signing a contract has increased from 100,000 rubles [$1,010] to 300,000 rubles [$3,040]. Taking into account payments from the region and the MoD, the total sign-up bonus here will amount to 1.1 million rubles [$11,200].

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

Mikhail Alfyorov, a blogger from Kemerovo who was critical of the government, has been reported killed in the war against Ukraine. Since 2021, the man has been charged under criminal articles several times, most recently in April 2023. At that time, he was accused of inciting hatred or enmity, slander and using violence against a government representative. A year later, facing the prospect of being placed in a pre-trial detention center and subjected to sexualized violence, Alfyorov decided to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense and join the war effort. Communication with him ceased on Dec. 1, 2024, and it was reported that he had died on Dec. 25. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown. Journalist Natalya Zubkova, a friend of Alfyorov, has suggested that the activist might have perished in a so-called pit, rather than in combat. Alfyorov's body has already been transported to Kemerovo, and his mother intends to demand an examination.

Additionally, Sergey Yefremov, the vice-governor of the Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], has been reported killed in the war, according to the region's governor, Oleg Kozhemyako. The Shot Telegram channel reported that Yefremov, along with another officer, was killed when a vehicle in which he was returning from a combat mission was destroyed by a landmine. Before the war, Yefremov served as the first vice-mayor of the city of Ussuriysk. After the outset of the full-scale invasion, in the summer of 2022, he assumed leadership of the BARS-22 Tigr [Tiger] volunteer unit established in the Primorsky region. In February 2024, Kozhemyako appointed him vice-governor of the Primorsky region for internal policy. In August 2024, he was reported to have been deployed to the Kursk region with other fighters.

The mother of Artyom Burmushev, a soldier in the V assault unit of the 132nd Motorized Rifle Brigade, told the Astra Telegram channel that members of his unit abducted her son along with a fellow soldier. They reportedly placed bags over their heads, handcuffed them, and transported them to a detention facility. Their phones were confiscated, and after being held for five days, they were sent on an assault mission in the Toretsk direction. According to the surviving fellow soldier, Burmushev was strapped with two anti-tank mines to his bulletproof vest, handcuffed, and sent on the mission without any weapons. On Jan. 12, he died under the rubble of a five-story building. Despite this, his mother stated that since Dec. 30, he has been officially listed as AWOL.

Soldiers from the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade have reported illegal actions by their commanders, including deploying soldiers who have not fully recovered from their injuries on assault missions. On Jan. 31, a group of previously wounded soldiers was informed by their battalion commander that they would be sent to storm the town of Pokrovsk. In a recorded video, the soldiers say that they can only move with the help of makeshift crutches.

A 69-year-old contract soldier battling cancer has been accused of going AWOL. Aleksandr Suris, from the city of Yekaterinburg, signed a military contract in July 2023. He was injured and taken prisoner in September but was exchanged and sent for medical treatment in early 2024. However, later that spring, his unit claimed he had gone AWOL. In July, just days before his contract was set to expire, he was taken directly from a social center to a military commandant's office but was later released. On Jan. 27, 2025, however, the pensioner was once again accused of going AWOL. This time, unknown individuals in uniform took Aleksandr away from the social center where he had been living.

A court in Germany has ruled for the first time to grant asylum to Russian draft refuseniks. Several Russians had applied for refugee status with the immigration service but were initially rejected. Following these rejections, the refuseniks decided to appeal the decisions in court, where they were met with support. According to the court's position, the applicants face the danger of being sent to fight in the war in Ukraine, where they would "be forced to carry out actions that violate international law or human rights." The Movement of Conscientious Objectors, a human rights organization supporting those who refuse to perform military service, published the text of the ruling and key details of the case. It is worth noting that the court's ruling also referenced our mobilization briefs.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

A former soldier, Azamat Batyrbaev, who returned to his hometown of Ufa after participating in the war, brutally assaulted and raped his ex-wife Diniya on camera because she filed for divorce during his absence. Diniya is currently in the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with a concussion and a broken lower jaw. In an interview with the Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel and UFA1.RU, Batyrbaev admitted to assaulting his ex-wife but stated that he "does not regret it." However, he denies the accusation of rape. According to him, Diniya became a member of a cult and owed a large sum of money, which he claims led to the assault. The soldier is currently at home released on recognizance, while the investigation continues.

In Nalchik, a war veteran fatally assaulted an 87-year-old woman. According to the victim's relatives, he had consumed mephedrone along with alcohol just hours before the crime. He was caught shortly after the incident and arrested on charges of murder with extreme brutality. He has confessed to the crime.

A war participant with three prior convictions for drug distribution and rape has been arrested on charges of grievous bodily harm resulting in death. In the early hours of Jan. 1, 40-year-old Artur Kokoev, who had returned from the frontline, stabbed his 18-year-old relative Marat Zharov in the throat and back during a drunken quarrel in the village of Zavodskoy in Russia's constituent Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. The serviceman has been detained, but the victim’s relatives fear that Kokoev may evade punishment, as he has already expressed a desire to return to the war. They insist on reclassifying the case as murder. Kokoev had initially been deployed to the frontline from a penal colony.

In the Tyumen region, war participant Renat Nasyrov has been sentenced to seven and a half years of imprisonment for the murder of his own brother. He was found guilty of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm resulting in death. Previously convicted of theft, Nasyrov signed a contract in August 2023. In the spring of 2024, he received leave and returned to his home village. On March 30, while drinking together, he and his brother got into a verbal altercation. During the conflict, the serviceman stabbed his brother. Realizing what he had done, Nasyrov asked a neighbor to call an ambulance before leaving the house. The victim died from blood loss before medical assistance arrived.

In Khimki, police have detained a 33-year-old war participant wearing a camouflage uniform with a Z patch who was shooting from the balcony of a residential building. He later recorded a video apologizing, saying that the gun was a toy and that he was only showing it to a colleague on the phone during the incident.

In Saint Petersburg, traffic police have detained a 27-year-old resident of Karelia [Russia’s constituent republic] who was on the national wanted list for going AWOL. The man had previously been repeatedly convicted. In 2022, he was sentenced to 11 years for extortion and attempted murder, but he avoided serving his sentence by being deployed to the frontline from a penal colony.

In Moscow, an 18-year-old student from Dagestan [Russia’s constituent Republic] was detained for setting fire to a battery cabinet. According to investigators, an unknown individual allegedly contacted him and offered 40,000 rubles [$410] to commit arson on a railway section between the Malchiki and Lyubertsy-2 stations. The student agreed and went to the specified location at night, where he set fire to the battery cabinet. He recorded his actions on video and sent them to the client but never received the promised money. A criminal case has been opened against him for an act of terror committed by an organized group.

Two teenagers were detained for setting fire to relay cabinets in the Moscow region. According to investigators, a 17-year-old college student from Kolomna and a 15-year-old school student from Voskresensk set fire to four relay cabinets. Law enforcement officers claim that they agreed to commit the arson in exchange for a monetary reward offered to them via a messaging app.

According to the Baza Telegram channel, police officers detained a 59-year-old Moscow resident on suspicion of preparing an act of terror. According to investigators, between Feb. 24 and Dec. 31, 2024, the man allegedly purchased a drone, symbols associated with "neo-nationalists," and frequently visited resources linked to organizations banned in Russia. He was also said to have filmed the Buyanov Hospital and various other social and infrastructure facilities in Tsaritsyno. In June 2024, the man had already been arrested for 10 days for wearing a T-shirt with a slogan supporting Ukraine.

The Second Eastern District Military Court has sentenced 21-year-old resident of Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], Aleksey Badmayev, to seven years in prison on charges of treason and terrorism propaganda. According to the investigation, the student, "opposing the Russian Armed Forces' special military operation" and supporting "the Freedom of Russia Legion," posted comments on the VKontakte social network that "propagated the activities of this terrorist organization." He also transferred 500 rubles [$5.07] to the Russian Volunteer Corps.

The Nizhny Novgorod regional court has sentenced 39-year-old Dmitry Kizhmenyev, a Sarov resident and an employee at the Nizhny Novgorod nuclear weapons development center, on charges of treason, attempting to leave Russia while having access to state secrets, and document forgery. Kizhmenyev was arrested in August 2023 in a Nizhny Novgorod court, initially facing only document forgery charges.

Assistance

In the Mamadysh district of Tatarstan [Russia’s constituent republic], a new payment of 10,000 rubles [$100] is planned for families registering the birth of a child in the district. However, for participants in Russia's war in Ukraine, the payment will be twice as much—20,000 rubles [$200].

Miscellaneous

Activist Valery Moiseev has reported that starting from Feb. 1, the Olympiets temporary accommodation center will stop feeding evacuated residents from the Kursk region. Authorities in the temporary accommodation administration explained that the government owes the institution up to 70 million rubles [$710,200] for maintaining the resettled individuals. After Kursk authorities labeled the news as fake, Moiseev published a conversation with Ilya Konovalov, the director of the administration, confirming his claims. According to Konovalov, it is expected that funds will be transferred by Feb. 5, but until then, 600 refugees housed in the center will remain without food.

Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Gleb Nikitin announced that a regional equivalent of the national Time of Heroes personnel program has been introduced in the region. According to Nikitin, participants in the program will have the opportunity for employment in managerial positions upon its completion.

An exhibition of paintings dedicated to the war with Ukraine is currently being held at the Belyaevo Gallery in Moscow. The SOTAvision Telegram channel has published photographs of several of these artworks.

Longreads

Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] has reported on how inside the 108th Airborne Assault Regiment of the Russian Airborne Troops, a former mercenary and special forces operative created a syndicate whose fighters obeyed only him, bypassing military hierarchy and reportedly subjected soldiers to deadly interrogations.

The SOTAvision Telegram channel spoke with relatives of servicemen from the 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who created a petition in May 2024 alleging torture, extortion and significant losses.