Mobilization in Russia for July 15-17, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Naturalized citizens may lose their Russian citizenship for evading military registration "without a valid reason," under a bill introduced in the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] by lawmakers from United Russia [Putin’s ruling party]. Under the proposal, a draft office could classify any naturalized citizen as a draft dodger for failing to register or respond to a draft notice, thereby establishing evasion as a standalone basis for stripping citizenship. The office would then issue its finding and send the document to the Interior Ministry within five days. However, the decision could be reversed if the man reports to the draft office within 30 days. The bill would also allow for terminating citizenship for past instances of evasion, provided the act is officially established after Aug. 8, 2024. It would also allow authorities to revoke the citizenship of the naturalized individual’s children. Anyone stripped of their citizenship under these terms could reapply after three years. According to Vazhnyye Istorii [an independent Russian investigative media outlet], authorities made 198 decisions to revoke citizenship for evasion in 2024, with at least 16 more cases reported in 2025. The bill also expands the grounds on which authorities can refuse a citizen’s request to renounce their citizenship, adding mobilization, active contract-based military service and dismissal from service for cause to existing impediments like a criminal record.

The State Duma has also approved, in its second reading, a bill that would introduce fines for Russian citizens who search for "extremist" materials online. Lawmakers inserted the amendments into a previously unrelated bill concerning transportation services, first introduced in October 2024. The final wording of the amendments has not yet been released. The bill would add two new articles to the Code of Administrative Offenses. It would establish a misdemeanor penalty of up to 5,000 rubles [$64] for the "deliberate search for materials designated as extremist," including searches conducted via VPN services. It would also impose separate fines for advertising VPNs, penalizing individuals up to 80,000 rubles [$1,020] and legal entities up to 500,000 rubles [$6,380]. If enacted, the law is set to take effect on Sept. 1.

Army Recruitment

A new recruitment scheme for mercenaries, "Dobrokor" [Volunteer Corps], has emerged in Russia, through which at least 1,500 men have already enlisted. The program offers a formally legal status, social guarantees and a sign-up bonus, but contracts cannot be terminated before the end of the agreed term. The older Redut arrangement, which allows fighters to leave at any time but without guarantees, remains active. Both schemes operate under the umbrella of the "Volunteer Corps," which is overseen by the GRU [Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation] and personally supervised by General Vladimir Alekseyev, the GRU’s First Deputy Chief. The corps includes 27 units, such as Wolves, Veterans, Española and Saint George, and has effectively replaced the Wagner Group. Unlike contracts with the Ministry of Defense, Dobrokor contracts are not automatically renewed after expiration.

Authorities in the Sverdlovsk region have introduced a new payment of 400,000 rubles [$5,110] for signing a contract with Rosgvardia [Russian National Guard] to participate in the war against Ukraine. Back in March, the region also increased the sign-up bonus for contracts with the MoD to 2.5 million rubles [$31,900].

A court in the city of Angarsk has suspended a case involving the torture of Ministry of Emergency Situations employees, as all three police officers accused in the case have gone to war—two during the investigation phase and the third during the trial. According to investigators, in September 2024, the officers beat and used a stun gun on two fire station drivers to force confessions about allegedly assaulting a colleague. The officers faced up to 12 years in a penal colony. Due to the court's decision, the victims will not be able to receive compensation for the harm caused to their health.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel notes that the MoD has yet to announce the completion of the spring conscription cycle, even though it has regularly reported the end of previous campaigns on the final day. According to legal experts, the expiration of the period specified in the presidential decree legally marks the end of the draft—regardless of whether the MoD confirms it publicly.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Based on data from the Ukrainian Hochu Zhit [I Want to Live] project, the media outlet Vyorstka has calculated that at least 133 Russian soldiers have been killed on the frontline after returning from captivity. The list includes regular troops, mobilized soldiers and Wagner Group fighters. The highest number of post-exchange deaths occurred among soldiers from the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions—44 in total. Notably, 71 soldiers died within a month of being repatriated. Regardless of rank, position or length of service, returned prisoners of war are routinely redeployed to frontline positions almost immediately after the exchange.

Servicemen from the 132nd Brigade, Vyacheslav Trutnev and Dmitry Ostrovsky—who had previously admitted to fleeing their positions and criticized their unit's command—have been held in Ukrainian captivity for nearly a year. Nevertheless, they are still officially listed as having gone AWOL. Their capture only became publicly known recently, after the pro-Russian Telegram channel Joker DPR released a video that allegedly shows them in the company of officers from Ukraine’s Information and Psychological Operations Center. Trutnev and Ostrovsky have appeared in videos posing as Russian soldiers still serving at the front, communicating with other Russian troops. Their families have confirmed the authenticity of the footage. According to relatives, the two are not being included in prisoner exchange lists, and in Russia, "the FSB is already waiting for them."

Aleksandr R., a 43-year-old contract soldier, has been denied sick leave after sustaining an injury and is being deployed to a combat zone. Despite receiving formal approval for leave from the military medical board after completing treatment, he was instead dispatched to the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region to dig trenches. His command demanded 500,000 rubles [$6,380] in exchange for an actual leave and a referral for a medical evaluation. In total, Aleksandr transferred about one million rubles [$12,760]. He was later reassigned to the 51st Combined Arms Army and sent on a combat mission.

Aleksandr K., a 42-year-old mobilized soldier from Russia’s constituent republic of Chuvashia, has not been discharged from service, despite being the sole legal guardian of his minor children, one of whom has a disability. Although he submitted a formal request to his unit’s command, it was ignored, and a criminal case was initiated against him for going AWOL. On July 14, Aleksandr was deployed on a combat mission. With the help of a lawyer, he has initiated legal proceedings to contest the actions of his command. While the court has accepted the case for review, Aleksandr remains in a combat zone.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Russia’s constituent republic of Karelia, the Petrozavodsk Garrison Military Court has sentenced Igor Korbelainen, a 50-year-old soldier, to 15 years in a high security colony on charges of desertion, murder and causing grievous bodily harm. The details of the case have not been disclosed, but earlier reports by Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] indicated that Korbelainen may have signed a contract with the MoD while serving time in a penal colony, after which he deserted and committed a murder.

A 39-year old woman from Belgorod has accused Magomed Mirzaev, a 36-year-old serviceman, of attempted rape. The incident occurred in the early hours of July 14. Mirzaev is currently wanted on suspicion of sexual violence. According to the Pepel [Ashes] Telegram channel, she is at least his third victim. In May 2013, he attacked a young woman in the Dagestani city of Izberbash, and in September 2022, he was detained for the rape of a 21-year-old student from Belarus. At that time, he was already serving in the military, having joined the invasion in April 2022. After being convicted of raping the student, Mirzaev signed another contract, received a presidential pardon and returned to the war.

A 35-year-old war veteran robbed stores in Novosibirsk 20 times. Wielding a machete, he would storm into supermarkets and steal groceries while threatening staff with the weapon. When police apprehended him, they discovered that while serving time in a correctional facility, he had signed a military contract and deployed to the frontline, from which he later returned due to health issues.

The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel has reported the arrest of contract soldier Vadim Kisterko from the Khabarovsk region on charges of committing an act of terror, going AWOL, and making threats or committing violent acts in connection with the administration of justice. While he was actually detained on Feb. 20, 2025, his formal arrest was recorded a month later, on March 24. Details about the case remain unclear, but his attorney has reported that Kisterko was tortured in an attempt to force him to confess to an act of terror he did not commit. On April 8, the serviceman was added to the Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) registry of extremists and terrorists.

In the Sakhalin region, a criminal case has been initiated under the article on negligence resulting in death following the death of conscript soldier Danila Minyailo, who fell into a coma a few days after beginning his military service. According to fellow soldiers of Minyailo, they were forced to train for several days in 95°F (35°C) heat during basic training and were denied access to water.

Anton Khozhayev, a 22-year-old former soldier, has been sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment on charges of preparation to commit a crime, treason, desertion, money laundering and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization. According to investigators, he provided data on Russian military facilities and UAVs and cooperated with the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Atesh movement. Khozhayev was detained by officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) allegedly while attempting to cross the border into Ukraine. The trial was held behind closed doors. The prosecution had requested a 24-year sentence in a penal colony. In his final statement, Khozhayev asked not to be referred to as a Russian soldier, stating that "the Russian army is a filthy garbage dump," and claimed that he had been tortured by FSB officers. He also stated that he was "more patriotic than most Russians" because he had switched to Ukraine’s side.

A court has issued sentences in a case involving an act of terror against three Ukrainian soldiers: Oleksiy Yashchenko from the 17th Tank Brigade was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment, while Nazariy Kys from the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and Viktor Zelenko from the 21st Mechanized Brigade were each sentenced to 15 years. According to investigators, between October 2024 and February 2025, the servicemen participated in an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, fired on Russian soldiers and civilians, obstructed the activities of state and local authorities and interfered with the evacuation of the civilian population.

In the Chelyabinsk region, two brothers, aged 16 and 17, have been detained on charges of sabotage. According to investigators, one of the brothers was communicating via a messaging app with an unknown person acting in the interests of Ukraine and agreed to set fire to a mobile communication station in Zlatoust in exchange for payment. He involved his brother in the act. On July 15, in the village of Chapayevsky, the young men set fire to an electrical equipment cabinet. One of the brothers reported back to the contractor and received money, but they were apprehended by FSB agents at that moment. The brothers have been remanded in custody.

Anvar Dootaliev, a 22-year-old petty officer serving at a naval missile training ground near Severodvinsk, has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to rape a local resident.

In Saint Petersburg, 19-year-old local resident Aleksey Linkov, who was sent to a pre-trial detention center after setting fire to a car, has now been charged with committing a terrorist attack. Law enforcement believes Linkov contacted the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and, under their instructions, set fire to a car on May 16 along with his girlfriend, Alina Goncharova, in exchange for a reward of 99,000 rubles [$1,260]. The car they burned belonged to an employee of a defense contracting firm. The couple was later arrested by law enforcement, and a court placed them in custody on charges of hooliganism. Linkov's charges were later reclassified as terrorism, while Goncharova remains accused of hooliganism and her detention has been extended.

In the Arkhangelsk region, 16-year-old Arina Tikhonova from Novodvinsk has been charged with sabotage and sentenced to six years in a juvenile penal colony. According to investigators, in January, the high school student contacted an unknown individual via a messaging app and agreed to set fire to an electrical substation in Arkhangelsk in exchange for 100,000 rubles [$1,280]. In the early hours of Feb. 2, the ninth-grader, accompanied by a 13-year-old acquaintance, entered the substation premises and used a flammable liquid to "ignite the targets specified by the crime organizer," recording the act on a mobile phone. Tikhonova sent the video to the client but received only a portion of the agreed payment. Later, she was pressured to complete additional "tasks," which prompted her to go to the police and report the incident. Her 13-year-old friend was placed in a special closed educational and correctional institution.

The FSB has reported the arrest of a 49-year-old resident of Pechora on suspicion of collaborating with the Freedom of Russia Legion. The man is facing charges of participating in a terrorist organization and preparing acts of sabotage as part of an organized group. According to investigators, the suspect had filled out an application to join the Freedom of Russia Legion and took photos and videos of "a strategic infrastructure facility," which he then passed on to his handlers. Law enforcement officers apprehended him on a train, allegedly en route to Belgorod. Intelligence services claim he intended to travel to Ukraine and take part in combat with the Legion.

The FSB has also announced the arrest of a man born in 1984, a resident of the Voronezh region, on suspicion of treason, preparation of sabotage and illegal possession of explosive devices. According to investigators, he contacted a representative of the Ukrainian intelligence services via a messaging app and provided information about air defense systems to them in exchange for a reward. In March 2025, he was offered to commit an act of sabotage, after which his "handler" provided him with instructions and coordinates for a dead drop containing an improvised explosive device. The man was detained by FSB officers after discovering the cache.

An appellate court upheld a seven-year sentence in a penal colony for 55-year-old Sergey Veselov, a blogger from the Ivanovo region. He was convicted under charges of "confidential cooperation with foreigners" and calls for terrorism. According to investigators, Veselov corresponded with an SBU officer; however, his lawyer claims there is no compelling evidence proving the interlocutor was affiliated with the SBU.

FSB officers have detained a man accused of gathering information about facilities of the Leningrad Naval Base of the Baltic Fleet and military units of the Leningrad Military District. A criminal case has been opened against the detainee for aiding terrorist activities. He is currently being held in a pre-trial detention center.

A resident of the Russian-occupied part of the Donetsk region has been detained for allegedly financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A criminal case for treason has been opened. According to the FSB, the detainee is a Russian citizen, although his full name has not been disclosed.

A "court" in Crimea has sentenced a resident of Kerch to sixteen and a half years for treason. Law enforcement officers believe that the man, acting on instructions from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, gathered information about the location of air defense systems in the city and sent it to the GUR in exchange for 5,000 rubles [$64]. The name of the convicted man and other details of the charges have not been disclosed.

The "Supreme Court" of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic has sentenced a woman from the town of Brianka to 15 years in a penal colony on charges of espionage. According to the prosecution, the woman had developed a "firm stance of rejecting the goals and objectives of the special military operation." Investigators allege that she contacted unidentified representatives of the AFU to collect and transmit military intelligence that could have been used to guide missile strikes. The FSB announced her arrest last October.

Children and Militarization

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, has criticized the administration of the military-patriotic camp "Armata" after more than 80 schoolchildren reportedly left the camp early. According to the governor, the situation stemmed from a box-checking, formal approach taken by local officials toward the camp’s educational mission. Authorities spent more than 100 million rubles [$1.28 million] on the program, which was intended to host 3,220 schoolchildren and students in 10 sessions between May 20 and July 26.

Longreads

The Insider [independent Russian investigative media outlet] published the accounts of three Ukrainian women who were abducted from their homes by Russian soldiers, subjected to torture and later convicted in Russia as Ukrainian spies.

The Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet reports that a children’s camp in Russia’s Pskov region plans to introduce military training for teenagers.