Mobilization in Russia for July 17–20, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

The State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] Defense Committee approved amendments to grant benefits to common-law wives of soldiers killed in the "special military operation" only if the couple had a child together.

Army Recruitment

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel published an explanatory post about the extensive personal information slated for inclusion in the Unified Military Register [digital system to identify citizens subject to military service and serve draft notices]. Individuals can already request register excerpts via the Gosuslugi public services portal, but currently these documents only reflect user-provided data such as their full name, date of birth and individual insurance account number. Future extracts will display information on issued draft notices and any restrictions imposed by draft offices. According to a government decree, these digital profiles will eventually consolidate virtually complete sets of personal data (see the Voyennye Advokaty post for a full list). The amount of this information within the register will expand monthly.

Meanwhile, Timofey Vaskin, a lawyer with the human rights organization Shkola Prizyvnika [Conscript School], told the Mozhem Ob'yasnit [We Can Explain] Telegram channel that extracts from the Unified Military Register now include more personal data covering education, employment, job titles, marital status, military registration location, and any draft deferments. Recent registry extracts requested by the organization's clients via the Gosuslugi portal suggest that authorities have connected the electronic register to the databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Social Fund.

Kiosks for signing contracts with the MoD have been installed throughout the city of Chelyabinsk. According to the city administration, these kiosks "provide information about contract-based military service, the benefits and advantages it offers." The city hall has not specified how many such kiosks will be established. Last year, the regional payment for signing a contract in the Chelyabinsk region was increased from 705,000 [$8,960] to 1.5 million rubles [$19,200].

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Based on open sources, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] and BBC News Russian, together with volunteers, have verified the names of 119,154 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 13,090 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 1,015 soldiers. Additionally, Mediazona collaborated with Meduza [international Russian-language online media outlet] to provide an assessment of the actual losses of the Russian army based on the number of inheritance cases. The most recent calculated data refer to the results of 2024, indicating that over the year, Russia lost approximately 95,000 people, of which 50,000 were in the second half of the year.

Rustam Minnikhanov, the president of Russia's constituent Republic of Tatarstan, has stated that around 45,000 residents of the republic have either fought or are currently participating in the war. In March 2025, Minnikhanov shared data on the number of contract and mobilized soldiers from the republic during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, reporting that their number stood at 38,169. According to estimates by the Idel.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet, at least 5,550 natives of the republic have been killed in the war since February 24, 2022.

41-year-old serviceman Rafael Agabekov contracted HIV and hepatitis C, which has become the reason for his deployment to a combat assignment. He initially served in the evacuation of wounded soldiers, during which he sustained a minor injury—subsequent medical tests revealed the infections. After his test results came in, Agabekov was transferred from a reserve battalion to a motorized rifle unit. He managed to obtain a referral to a medical evaluation board, where he was assigned category "B" (limited fitness for service). Agabekov is currently awaiting documents from the central military medical board. In the meantime, he was sent to forward positions. However, after media coverage of his case, the military transferred him to a hospital, where he is now waiting for confirmation from the central board.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In the Saratov region, a military court sentenced 26-year-old serviceman Dmitry Laskin to nine years in prison for the murder of war participant Aleksey Suslikov from the town of Novouzensk. According to investigators, on April 24, Laskin, while intoxicated, met 43-year-old Suslikov, who was undergoing treatment after taking part in combat operations and was preparing to return to the frontline. Laskin offered Suslikov a ride, but a conflict broke out in the car, during which Suslikov punched Laskin. In response, Laskin struck Suslikov on the head with the back of an axe, rendering him unconscious. Laskin then drove him to a field and delivered six more blows to Suslikov’s head with the back of the axe, killing him.

A military court in Saint Petersburg sentenced Private Dmitry Voynonen to 10 years in a maximum security penal colony for murder. In January 2025, 33-year-old Voynonen got into an argument with a 48-year-old acquaintance over the war in Ukraine. Voynonen reportedly took offense at how the man spoke about the "special military operation" and assaulted him, resulting in the man’s death at the scene. Voynonen then dragged the body into the courtyard and left it at the entrance to a basement. He later allegedly turned himself in to the police. However, the outlet 78.ru published a video in which Voynonen claims that unknown individuals killed his companion and that he himself had been "knocked out and tied up." The court took into account his confession, lack of prior convictions, and participation in combat operations.

The Verkhnevilyuysk District Court in Russia’s constituent republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has sentenced pardoned war participant Dmitry Semyonov to three years of probation for assaulting his wife. According to the court, Semyonov was intoxicated during a domestic argument when he struck his wife with a hammer, inflicting serious injuries, including a fractured parietal bone. Semyonov claimed the blow was meant as "discipline" and insisted that he "didn't hit her with full force." The woman required extensive medical treatment. The court cited his military service, combat awards, injuries, and rehabilitation as mitigating factors. Semyonov had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison for fatally beating a drinking companion in December 2021. While serving that sentence, he was reportedly recruited into the Storm Z unit to fight in the war, after which he received a presidential pardon.

According to the human rights group Public Verdict, police in Yerevan, Armenia, detained and later released 25-year-old Russian serviceman Semyon Subbotin, who had been placed on Russia’s wanted list for going AWOL. He was held for 72 hours and released on July 20. That same day, three Russian soldiers were reportedly seen outside the detention facility. Human rights advocates alerted the police to a possible abduction attempt, after which Subbotin was taken to a police station for protection. An expert noted that Russia now has 40 days to submit a formal extradition request. If no request is made within that period, Armenia will drop the search listing. Subbotin had served in the 54th Strategic Missile Division of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) in the Ivanovo region. According to Mediazona, he was listed as wanted no later than February 2025.

In the Zabaykalsky region [Russia's federal subject], two teenagers have been sent to a pre-trial detention center in connection with forest arson incidents near Chita. The minors were detained on July 18. According to investigators, they agreed to set the forest on fire for 15,000 rubles [$190] offered to them by unknown individuals via a messenger app. Notably, both teenagers were part of a volunteer firefighting squad.

A Moscow court has remanded A. Demidenko into a pre-trial detention center in connection with a criminal case involving "assistance to an enemy engaged in activities knowingly directed against the security" of Russia. The investigation's request for Demidenko's arrest was received by the court on July 16 and approved by Judge Anna Antipova. As Mediazona learned, on July 15, the same judge sanctioned a search under Article 276.1 of the Criminal Code. This is the first known application of this article, which was introduced into the Criminal Code at the end of 2024.

In the Tambov region, law enforcement officers detained a local resident on suspicion of preparation for sabotage. According to investigators, an unknown individual contacted him via a messenger app and informed him that he faced criminal liability for financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To avoid punishment, the man was required to commit an act of sabotage, to which he agreed. The man was sent to a pre-trial detention center.

Three residents of the Kaluga region are set to stand trial on terrorism charges in connection with the arson of cell towers. According to investigators, in April 2024, a 19-year-old man entered into correspondence with an anonymous user on a messaging app who was allegedly acting in the interests of a hostile foreign state. The man was offered 65,000 rubles [$830] to set fire to cellular base stations operated by mobile providers. He then recruited two friends to help carry out the attacks. On June 4, 2024, ASTRA reported the detention of two individuals in the Kaluga region for setting a cell tower on fire. According to Astra, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a terrorism case against 18-year-old Radislav Kudenkov and a 15-year-old minor. Law enforcement officials allege the pair set fire to a tower on May 30.

A regional court in Murmansk sentenced Artyom Bogeruk, the 43-year-old former CEO of a legal consulting firm, to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony for treason. The case reached the court in late May, and a verdict was issued on July 9. Details of the case remain undisclosed. However, local media outlets reported that Bogeruk was accused of transmitting the coordinates of an airfield near the northern city of Olenegorsk. According to leaked reports, he had been experiencing financial difficulties.

The FSB also reported the arrest of a resident of Crimea on suspicion of treason. Authorities claim the man made contact with Ukrainian intelligence services and provided them with information about the military facility locations and infrastructure details of the Port of Feodosia.

Children and Militarization

From June to November in the Kurgan region, as part of the Orthodox Initiative - 2025 project, over a hundred sports and educational events for children will take place, including classes on piloting drones and combat training. Additionally, screenings of patriotic films are planned.

Assistance

The Zabaykalsky region is among the 25 regions to which the government has allowed not to repay part of their budgetary loans totaling 18.6 billion rubles [$238 million]. Vera Antropova, the region's finance minister, announced that the freed-up 4.4 billion rubles in 2025 will be directed towards supporting war participants and their families, nearly a quarter of the total debt amount slated for write-off.

In 2025, Tyva [Russia's constituent republic] will allocate nearly 1 billion rubles [$12.77 million] to support war participants. This is approximately the amount the republic spent on this over the past three years of war combined. Officials note that a significant portion of the funds will go towards payments for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense, currently set at 400,000 rubles [$5,110] in Tyva.

Longreads

The Insider [independent Russian investigative media outlet] has published an analysis of verdicts issued in terrorism cases since the start of the invasion.

The Okno project tells the story of former police officer Konstantin Podoshelev, sentenced to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony for slogans like "University for Killers" and "Russian Orthodox Church for Killers."