Mobilization in Russia for July 29-30, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
Authorities in several regions have simultaneously announced an increase in the sign-up bonus for concluding a contract with the Ministry of Defense to fight in the war against Ukraine. Chukotka Governor Vladislav Kuznetsov stated that the bonus would rise from 400,000 to 500,000 rubles [from $4,630 to $5,790] starting Aug. 1. Vladimir Vladimirov, Governor of the Stavropol region, has given instructions to "swiftly draft" a bill to increase the regional bonus from 200,000 to 1.5 million rubles [from $2,310 to $17,400]. Last February, Stavropol authorities had already raised the amount from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles [from $1,160 to $2,310]. On July 29, news broke of bonus increases in the Kaluga region and in Saint Petersburg, while last week several other regions had announced similar increases.
In Yekaterinburg, law enforcement officers conducted yet another raid on migrants, in order to identify naturalized citizens who fail to register for military service. According to the police, 12 people were delivered to a draft office.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Yevgeny Izotov from the Rostov region, as well as Ivan Serykh, Vitaly Lavrov and Artur Kopylov from the Belgorod region.
A Danish citizen who relocated from Europe to "escape their values" is suing Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The man arrived in Russia in the summer of 2023 and in fall, upon the expiration of his permitted stay in the country, he signed up for contract-based military service and ended up at war against his will. In the spring of 2024, the Dane filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defense, requesting that the contract be declared invalid on the grounds of his lack of knowledge of the Russian language, in which the contract was written. However, the Garrison Military Court rejected Dane’s lawsuit and denied his appeal. Now the man hopes that Danish diplomats will intervene and help him return to Denmark.
The mother of a mobilized soldier from the Irkutsk region, Viktor Petrov, who died under suspicious circumstances, has filed a complaint with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin. In the complaint, she requests that the Investigative Committee respond to her previous appeal sent in early July asking to reopen the investigation into the death of the mobilized soldier. In early May 2023, Petrov was found hanged in a military unit. Prior to his demise, Petrov was hospitalized with broken ribs and complained of torture by the military police, leading his family to suspect that he might have been killed. After Petrov's passing, a criminal case was opened for incitement to suicide—during the investigation, it was discovered that Petrov had a mental illness that should have disqualified him from military service. In February 2024, the case was closed, but his mother was only informed about this in May.
​Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In the city of Novoshakhtinsk, Rostov region, a 6-year-old child and his mother were killed and several other children were injured in an accident caused by the military. According to reports, the traffic light at the intersection was not working. The driver of a military KAMAZ truck did not yield to a turning Kia and rammed into it. The State Traffic Inspectorate acknowledged that the accident was caused by the 42-year-old KAMAZ truck driver. It is unknown what condition he was in at the time. It is worth noting that last week, a man died after his car collided with a tank in the Belgorod region.
In Saint Petersburg, a woman reported to the police about being sexually assaulted by three soldiers. The three suspects were taken to the police station for questioning. No criminal charges have been announced yet. All three soldiers hold the rank of private. One of them, a 22-year-old from the city of Bryansk, was sentenced to one year of probation in 2022 for an incident of sexual violence against a minor, according to Fontanka [pro-Russian media outlet of the Leningrad region].
The Novorossiysk Garrison Court sentenced serviceman Aleksey Parakhin to five years and nine months in a maximum security penal colony for going AWOL during mobilization or martial law. The sentence included part of a previous unserved term—Parakhin had been sentenced to three years in a maximum security penal colony for robbery and theft in June 2023. However, he was "conditionally released" upon signing a contract in September. On Dec. 25 of the same year, he left his unit to spend time with his family. Parakhin was returned to the temporary duty station on May 14, 2024.
In the Far East, a pediatrician has been denied alternative civilian service due to his anti-war views. The 26-year-old student, who works as a doctor in a children's hospital, applied for alternative civilian service based on his moral and ethical beliefs. However, the military commissar stated that the young man’s opposition to the army "constitutes a criminal offense under the current conditions" and denied his request for alternative civilian service. The man filed a lawsuit, and during the hearing, the defendants described the doctor's arguments as "a degradation of moral consciousness," and the lawsuit was dismissed. The young man is now planning to appeal.
In the Sverdlovsk region, law enforcement officers havedetained eight teenagers suspected of preparing a terrorist attack on the railway. Investigators claim that the youths received instructions via Telegram from a person in Ukraine. In early July, five of the teenagers attempted to set fire to a locomotive and a relay cabinet in Krasnouralsk. According to the Investigative Committee, three other teenagers planned a similar arson in Pervouralsk. The youths allegedly arrived at the railroad with flammable liquid and crowbars, but were detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. Two criminal cases were initiated against the young people on charges of terrorism.
A military court has sentenced Artyom Sanzharaev, a resident of Krasnoyarsk, to 14 years in a penal colony for attempted sabotage on the railway and distributing leaflets of the "Freedom of Russia Legion." Sanzharaev was found guilty of "confidential" cooperation with foreigners, attempted sabotage, calls for terrorism, and involvement in the activities of a terrorist organization. The court also fined Sanzharaev 300,000 rubles [$3,470].
The First Western District Military Court sentenced Nikita Semak to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of illegal trafficking of explosives, illegal weapon manufacturing, and terrorism. On September 5, Semak set an improvised explosive device in a ventilation shaft leading to an abandoned bomb shelter near a draft office in Saint Petersburg. The explosion did not result in any injuries.
The court has extended Ruslan Zinin's prison term to 20 years. Zinin shot a military commissar in Ust-Ilimsk during the early days of mobilization in 2022. In January 2024, he was convicted of terrorism, as well as illegal possession and manufacture of weapons, and was originally sentenced to 19 years in prison. During the trial, Zinin reported being tortured after his arrest. Last month, he was held in solitary confinement, where he cut himself and declared a hunger strike.
In Rostov, a court sentenced 53-year-old Ukrainian Irina Kulish to seven years in a penal colony on charges of preparing an act of terrorism, participating in a terrorist organization, illegal acquisition and storage of an explosive device, and drug possession. She is accused of an alleged attempt to carry out a terrorist attack during the 2022 "referendum." Kulish was detained in the Russian-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region on September 23, 2022, on the first day of the "referendum." The investigation claims that Kulish arrived at a polling station on a bicycle with explosives, and law enforcement officers prevented the attack by detaining her.
A court in the Vladimir region has sentenced a local resident to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of high treason for fighting on the Ukrainian side. According to investigators, the 36-year-old native of the city of Mariupol obtained Russian citizenship in 2016, but returned to Ukraine in 2018, where in 2020 he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fought for Ukraine. In the spring of 2022, the man was captured by Russian forces.
In Chernyakhovsk, authorities have detained a 36-year-old local resident who allegedly planned an attack on the local administration building. According to investigators, the man was plotting to blow up the building on orders from the "Russian Volunteer Corps." Officials claim to have found an improvised explosive device, 210 rounds of ammunition, and components for making explosives in his possession. The suspect now faces criminal charges of attempting to commit an act of terror and illegal possession of explosives. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
A resident of the Amur region has been accused of high treason. According to the FSB, the man, whose name has not been disclosed, allegedly transferred personal funds to support the AFU. The detained individual is now facing criminal charges of high treason, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
In Moscow, authorities have arrested a man accused of high treason. Court records only mention the surname and initials of the arrested individual—Krai A.F. Details of the case are unknown, as treason cases are typically tried behind closed doors.
The Kiev District Court of annexed Simferopol sentenced Maria Pukhovskaya to a year of probation for vandalizing a voting ballot box. She was found guilty of obstructing the work of the electoral commissions in a group. On March 15, the 31-year-old woman came to a polling station in Simferopol and poured brilliant green into the ballot box.
Miscellaneous
In Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], bailiffs suspended 6,000 enforcement proceedings against active Russian soldiers from the region, totaling 551 million rubles [$6.38 million], as noted by the Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet.
At least seven political prisoners—Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov, Liliya Chanyshova, Ksenia Fadeeva, Kevin Lik, Sasha Skochilenko, and Daniil Krinari—have been transferred from penal colonies and pre-trial detention centers to an undisclosed location. Human rights activists and lawyers suggest this could be part of a plan for an exchange, possibly for the killer Vadim Krasikov.
The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, stated that by mid-August, branches of the museum of the "special military operation" should appear in all districts of the Saratov region. In Saratov, the museum was opened in August 2023 and since then has been set on fire twice. In the Samara region, a "memory alley" to the fallen participants of the war with Ukraine will be established.