Mobilization in Russia for Jan. 7-9, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Ratmir Mavliev, the mayor of the city of Ufa, announced an increase in the sign-up bonus for those signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense in the capital of Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic] from 400,000 rubles [$3,820] to 700,000 rubles [$6,680]. Recently, the republic also raised its regional payments, which now amount to 1.6 million rubles [$15,300]. Thus, the total amount of payments in Ufa, including national bonuses, will be 2.7 million rubles [$25,800].

In the city of Tyumen on Jan. 9, law enforcement officers conducted raids at construction sites, wholesale warehouses, shopping pavilions and markets. During the roundups, 75 people were checked. Among them, 26 men who had obtained Russian citizenship but had not registered for military service were taken to draft offices.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The family of 19-year-old conscript Yury Ubonov from the Irkutsk region, who died from pneumonia, has filed a complaint against his unit with the Military Prosecutor’s Office and the military investigation department of the Investigative Committee. Military authorities drafted him in the fall of 2024 and sent him in early December to serve in the 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade in Mosrentgen, a settlement in the Moscow region. On Dec. 18, he reported to the infirmary with a cough and fever, but three days later, according to relatives, he was ordered to join open-air shooting practice wearing a metal helmet without a liner. His condition worsened and on Dec. 23, he went back to the infirmary with a severe cough that produced blood, chest pains and a fever exceeding 39°C. His parents claim that doctors did not perform X-rays or any other tests, relying instead on injections to lower his fever. On Dec. 27, Ubonov fell into a coma, was taken to the Podolsk hospital and put on a ventilator. Yury died at 6 a.m. on Dec. 28 without regaining consciousness. Military authorities informed his parents two days later. A report from the military hospital listed pulmonary and cardiac failure, along with pneumonia, as the causes of death.

Soldiers from the 70th Motorized Rifle Regiment reported that around 40 wounded servicemen with untreated injuries were ordered to deploy on a combat mission. In a video recorded on Jan. 7, the soldiers revealed the injuries they were expected to fight with, including broken arms and legs, gunshot wounds and nerve damage. Some of the wounded were using crutches, while many were unable to perform basic tasks such as reloading a weapon.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

On Jan. 1, a 26-year-old former Wagner Group mercenary named Vitaly, while under the influence of drugs, stabbed his 25-year-old acquaintance to death in Krasnoyarsk. The incident occurred during a gathering in an apartment, where the men had been drinking with two other acquaintances. A conflict erupted, during which Vitaly stabbed his acquaintance multiple times, killing him. The suspect was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center on murder charges. According to the TVK television channel, Vitaly had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking but was pardoned for participating in the war against Ukraine as part of the Wagner Group. Friends of the victim insisted that he had tried to protect teenagers whom Vitaly allegedly attempted to "force into sexual violence," which led to him being fatally stabbed in the heart. The Investigative Committee denies that the victim stood up for minors and classifies the case as a drunken quarrel.

On Dec. 30, 2024, a Russian soldier committed suicide by slitting his wrists while traveling on a train along the Moscow-Vladivostok route. According to emergency service sources cited by the Astra Telegram channel, the soldier was returning home to Spassk-Dalny from a military hospital in Grozny, where he had been treated for a combat injury. The reason for his suicide remains unknown.

It has also been reported that ex-convict Denis Akkalayev attempted to commit suicide in the 254th Motorized Rifle Regiment in the town of Klintsy, Bryansk region. On Jan. 6, the 33-year-old soldier got drunk and stabbed himself in the stomach because he no longer wanted to be in the army. He is currently receiving treatment in a hospital. In 2015, Akkalayev was sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security penal colony for the murder of an elderly neighbor. Before that, he had been convicted seven times for other offenses.

In Adygea [Russia's constituent republic], a man has been arrested on terrorism charges. According to his lawyer, the defendant "participated in the special military operation." The specific charges against the man have not been disclosed. The court refused to place the defendant under house arrest. During interrogation, the defendant stated that he was sent to the "special military operation zone" in April 2022. At some point, he refused to engage in combat and was subsequently confined in a basement for 20 days. In September 2022, he was discharged into the reserves. However, the court ruling notes that no documents confirming the defendant's participation in the war have been submitted.

A resident of the Amur region has been detained on suspicion of preparing an act of sabotage on the Trans-Siberian Railway. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), the 39-year-old man had been in communication with a representative of a "Ukrainian terrorist organization" to gain knowledge and skills in the use of explosives. He also acquired components for making an improvised explosive device. The FSB claims that in October, after being contacted by a handler, the man proposed carrying out a sabotage and terrorist attack on a railway section. He later planned to travel to Ukraine with the intention of enlisting in the ranks of Ukrainian Armed Forces. The detainee is facing charges of preparing an act of sabotage and participation in a terrorist organization.

An 18-year-old female resident of the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region of Ukraine has been detained on suspicion of "state treason." According to law enforcement officers, she allegedly gathered information on the locations of Russian military personnel in April 2023 and passed it on to a handler.

Assistance

At the beginning of 2025, Buryatia [Russia’s constituent republic] launched a new state support program for war participants and combat veterans called Agromotivator. The program provides grants covering up to 90% of the costs detailed in business plans for various agricultural activities. Authorities believe this initiative will help participants start their own businesses in the agro-industrial sector and facilitate their reintegration into civilian life.

Miscellaneous

Over 80,000 migrants were forcibly deported from Russia in 2024, the TASS news agency reported, citing sources within the Federal Bailiff Service. The deportations were reportedly linked to violations of migration regulations. This represents a significant increase compared to 44,200 deportations in 2023 and 26,600 in 2022. In the past year alone, 23,000 migrants were expelled from Moscow and its surrounding region.

Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights, has released a list of 517 residents from the Kursk region who have been reported missing as a result of the AFU's incursion. The list, compiled from inquiries by relatives, primarily includes residents of the Sudzhansky district.