Mobilization in Russia for July 3-6, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Russian government has suspended the accrual of penalties on taxes and insurance contributions for mobilized soldiers and any organizations where they serve as both director and sole founder. The suspension will remain in effect for the entire duration of an individual's military service and for an additional three months following their discharge.
The Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has definitively concealed demographic data, removing the corresponding section from its Review of the Socio-Economic Situation of the Russian Federation for May, published this week. The agency also skipped publication of its regular Natural Population Movement report, which used to provide operational data from the Civil Registry Office on the number of births, deaths, marriages and divorces. The last available summary, covering March 2025, appeared on the website on May 16, and nearly two months have passed without the release of April's data on the Rosstat website. The Meduza international Russian-language online media outlet reports that, in June, researcher Dmitry Kobak attempted to obtain detailed death data for all of 2024 from Rosstat, but the agency stated that the government "decided to temporarily suspend" access to this public information. Experts now only have access to two indicators published on the agency’s website: the total fertility rate by region and the total rate for third and subsequent children.
Army Recruitment
Authorities in the Vladimir region have increased the sign-up bonus for contracts with the Ministry of Defense to 2.1 million rubles [$26,700] for the period from July 1 to September 30 of this year. This is the third increase in 2025: the bonus was raised to 1 million rubles in January and to 1.6 million in April. Now, with the addition of a federal bonus, contract soldiers from the region will receive a total of 2.5 million rubles [$31,800].
In Udmurtia [Russia's constituent republic], residents will receive 30,000 rubles [$380] for recruiting individuals to sign a contract with the MoD. The bonus is available to everyone except employees of draft offices, military units and recruitment centers. The payments will be funded by the regional Ministry of Social Policy.
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 116,718 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 12,903 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 861 soldiers. Additionally, Dmitry Treshchanin, the editor of Mediazona, has reported on the situation with "refuseniks." By the end of spring, Russian courts had filed more than 20,000 cases against them on various charges. However, as discovered by the Vyorstka media outlet, military personnel wanted for going AWOL are rarely arrested. Instead, they are often released on recognizance and then sent to assault units.
On July 4, Russia and Ukraine conducted another POW exchange. The returning Ukrainian servicemen were either wounded and seriously ill, or under 25 years old. Neither side specified the number of exchanged soldiers, nor was there any mention of an equal exchange. The previous exchange took place on June 26.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In the city of Volzhsky in the Volgograd region, a war participant killed another serviceman—33-year-old Sergey Sibirichev from a Storm Z unit. Sibirichev had come to Volzhsky on leave to visit a friend. On July 1, the two men were celebrating Combat Veterans’ Day, and in the early hours of July 2, a quarrel broke out between them in a local park, escalating into a physical fight. Sibirichev was beaten to death as a result. The suspected killer was detained the following morning and pleaded guilty, though he reportedly could not explain the reason for the conflict. In March 2024, a court in Moscow had sentenced Sibirichev to eight years in a maximum security penal colony for large-scale drug trafficking. Around that time, he signed a contract with the MoD and was sent to the war.
In the "DPR," one of three servicemen attempting to desert from the army was killed during their detention. On July 3, a taxi driver in the town of Khartsyzk called the police, reporting that he had picked up three men whom he suspected to be deserters. Law enforcement officers stopped and blocked the vehicle. One of the passengers broke the car door and tried to flee. According to reports, a police officer allegedly noticed a knife in the man's hands. The officer gave chase, firing a warning shot into the air, but the serviceman did not stop. The officer then fired again, fatally wounding the man. It was later confirmed that the three men had indeed been declared wanted for unauthorized absence from their military unit. All of them had been sent to the frontline after being recruited from penal institutions. The two remaining men were detained, and an investigation is underway regarding the police officer who opened fire.
A Russian court has sentenced civilian pilot Sergey Samoylov to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason for sending funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Federal Security Service (FSB) reported Samoylov’s arrest in January. According to the agency, the 56-year-old pilot from Russia’s Rostov region "proactively contacted a volunteer" who was collecting donations for Ukraine’s military. Authorities say Samoylov received instructions and transferred cryptocurrency to a designated account.
A military court in Kaliningrad sentenced 34-year-old Uzbek national Kallibek Yeseniyazov to seven years in prison on charges of attempting to join the Freedom of Russia Legion. Yeseniyazov was found guilty of attempting to participate in a terrorist organization. His lawyer, Yulia Luchitskaya, told Mediazona that her client "admitted everything and expressed remorse." Prosecutors said Yeseniyazov opposed the "special military operation" in Ukraine and had made several attempts to enter Ukrainian territory starting in September 2023. That month, he traveled to Moldova but was turned back by border guards. In May 2024, he tried to reach the Ukrainian embassy in Istanbul but was denied entry by security staff. Later, after allegedly receiving instructions from recruiters, he flew to Kaliningrad in July 2024, intending to cross the border into Poland illegally. He was detained before he could leave Russian territory.
Assistance
According to Vladimir Putin's statement, over three years of full-scale war under the auspices of the pro-government All-Russia People's Front movement, the All for Victory! campaign raised 54.5 billion rubles [$692 million]. Of this amount, over 45 billion came based on requests by servicemen. These funds were used to purchase drones, first aid kits, more than 14,000 vehicles, and other supplies.
The Kadyrov Public Fund spent 40.5 billion rubles [$514 million] on the war against Ukraine, according to Chechnya's [Russia's constituent republic]authorities. Of this amount, 4.5 billion rubles were spent in the last six months alone. This sum constitutes half of the budget of the city of Grozny [Chechnya main city]. However, these funds are not reflected in the fund's financial reports, and their origin remains unknown. According to the fund's report, it received only 824.8 million rubles [$10.48 million] in new income last year while the organization's total assets were valued at 2.8 billion rubles [$35.57 million].
Oleg Nikolaev, Head of Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic], appointed Colonel Ruslan Valiullin, a war participant, as his new assistant. Valiullin will oversee support for war participants and all combat veterans. In 2020, Valiullin was discharged early due to health reasons, but he was mobilized again in 2022. After a severe injury, the colonel was deemed unfit for military service.
Longreads
The Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet recounts the journey of a Russian conscript from forced deployment to the frontline to desertion and escape abroad.