Mobilization in Russia for July 31-Aug. 3, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment

Russia’s regions are shifting at least part of their military recruitment costs to the federal budget, notes Janis Kluge, Deputy Head of Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Several regions reclassified expenditures for the one-time bonus, awarded for signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The Tomsk region, for example, cut its spending on "payments to citizens who participate in the special military operation" from 1.1 billion to 300 million rubles [from $13.71 million to $3.74 million]. In parallel, it spent 800 million rubles [$9.97 million] over the same period on "measures related to conducting the special military operation, using funds from regional debt write-offs." Kluge believes that regions are leveraging a debt write-off program introduced in late 2024, which allows regional governments to cancel up to two-thirds of their debt if they redirect the freed-up funds toward housing construction, public transport, transportation infrastructure, and industrial support. The poorest regions, however, can use this money for "expenses related to the special military operation," an exception that enables them to refinance military expenditures through the federal budget. By the end of July, the program had allowed for recruitment allocations of 1.4 billion rubles [$17.45 million] in the Tomsk region, 3.2 billion rubles [$39.88 million] in the Orenburg region, and 2.1 billion rubles [$26.17 million] in the Mari El republic. For context, the latter was previously spending 10 percent of its budget on sign-up bonuses. In total, 36 regions received approval for write-offs amounting to 105 billion rubles [$1.3 billion] in 2025, with an additional 55 billion [$685.54 million] expected.

Due to a shortage of volunteer fighters for the war, the regional authorities of the Irkutsk region will begin dismissing heads of district administrations, a source familiar with the situation told the independent media outlet Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal]. Many residents are enlisting from regions that offer higher sign-up bonuses, while budget constraints prevent the Irkutsk authorities from paying more than one million rubles [$12,500]. According to the source, city officials receive monthly quotas specifying how many volunteer fighters must be recruited that month. The number depends on the population size and the number of men registered with draft offices, though the draft office data may not reflect reality. The source also said that while local administrations are not openly campaigning for people to go to war, police are conducting unofficial recruitment efforts, primarily targeting socially vulnerable individuals and those under criminal investigation.

Residents of the town of Kudymkar in the Perm region have had their sign-up bonus for signing a contract with the MoD increased to 100,000 rubles [$1,250]. Together with regional and national payments, volunteer fighters will receive around 2 million rubles [$24,900] for signing a contract.

Authorities in the Ryazan region have established payments for recruiting individuals into contract-based military service. A reward of 57,500 rubles [$720] is offered for recruiting a local resident, 345,000 rubles [$4,300] for someone from another region, and 80,500 rubles [$1,000] for a foreign national. These expenses will be covered by the regional budget. All adults are eligible to receive the payment, except employees of government bodies and organizations already tasked with recruiting contract soldiers. The contract must be signed in the region before the end of 2025.

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 121,507 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 13,356 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 1,164 soldiers, 96 of whom were mobilized.

In the Leningrad region, Valery Pukas, a 20-year-old conscript soldier from the Rostov region, died from an electric shock during field exercises in the town of Kronstadt. Pukas's parents have filed a complaint with the military investigation department of the Investigative Committee regarding the incident.

Denis Gorin, a resident of the Sakhalin region, who was sentenced to 22 years in a penal colony for murder and cannibalism, has reportedly been killed at the frontline. It was revealed in November 2023 that Gorin had gone to war. In 2003, he was convicted and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony for murder but was released early on parole. In 2018, he received a 22-year sentence in a high security colony for the murder of a friend's brother and the subsequent consumption of parts of the victim's body. According to the National Probate Registry, the date of Gorin's death is listed as July 1, 2024.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, HIV infections among Russian soldiers have risen by 2,000%, according to a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Experts attribute the surge to unsanitary conditions and drug use on the frontlines, as well as government pressure on NGOs that assist people living with HIV. The demographic and economic consequences of the outbreak are expected to be felt for decades.

Viktor Kazakov, a 56-year-old mobilized resident of Irkutsk, was taken to a hospital in Rostov-on-Don and underwent surgery following a report by the Lyudi Baikala media outlet. After sustaining a severe arm injury in February 2024, his commanders failed to provide the necessary documentation and refused to let him return home. He was left living in the barracks with an Ilizarov apparatus still attached to his arm, which led to swelling and tissue decay. He received no proper medical treatment, and when he complained, he was threatened with being sent back to the frontlines. After the situation gained public attention, Kazakov finally received surgery on July 23.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

Aleksandr Ponomaryov, a 42-year-old soldier from Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic], is under investigation for illegal possession of weapons. He signed a contract with the MoD in 2022 and was deployed to the war. In 2025, authorities discovered 500 rounds of ammunition and a Kalashnikov assault rifle in his home.

Since 2023, at least 139 servicemen from the Zabaykalsky region [Russia's federal subject] have been convicted of failing to execute orders, according to figures from the Borzya Garrison Military Court. While none of the 126 finalized sentences have been made public, proceedings in ten additional cases remain ongoing, and three have been suspended.

The Investigative Committee has dropped the criminal case against a contract soldier accused of going AWOL. According to the case file, the serviceman underwent treatment at a health resort from June to July 2024. Upon returning home, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, a development he reported to his command. In August, he was ordered to report to his unit but failed to comply and was subsequently detained in December 2024. According to investigators, the soldier had signed his contract with the Ministry of Defense in August 2023 despite having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder. A military medical board subsequently assigned him the service fitness category "V" (partially fit for military service). The investigation concluded that he was medically unfit to sign the contract at the time and therefore could not be held criminally responsible. The case was closed due to a lack of corpus delicti.

On July 30, the Moscow Appellate Military Court increased the sentence of 54-year-old Sergey Bryukhanov to 19 years in a penal colony. Earlier, in March, Bryukhanov had received a 14-year sentence on charges of treason, involvement in a terrorist organization, financing terrorism, and calls for terrorism. According to the indictment, he had drawn the symbol of the "Freedom of Russia Legion" and allegedly gathered and passed information on strategic Ministry of Defense facilities, draft offices, and active units. Authorities also claim he recruited acquaintances and relatives to join the Legion.

According to the Lyudi Baikala outlet, Andrey Bobkov, who was sentenced last week to 14 years in a penal colony on charges of treason, public incitement to extremism, participation in a terrorist organization, and aiding terrorism, was accused of being involved in the Artpodgotovka movement, speaking publicly about its activities, sharing the locations of military vehicles, and searching for ways to purchase weapons in the city of Chita.

Mediazona has identified the surname of the 17-year-old who was arrested last week on suspicion of attempting to set fire to a locomotive. The Sovetsk District Court in the city of Ulan-Ude arrested an individual surnamed Kuzmin, who is accused of two counts of sabotage. According to the court, Kuzmin "with the aim of undermining economic security and defense capability" set fire to a locomotive under repair and a cell tower.

A 17-year-old from the city of Kaluga has been sentenced to six years in a juvenile penal colony in a terrorism case. According to investigators, in August 2023 he set fire to two relay cabinets on the Balabanovo–Obninskoye railway section at the request of an unknown person. The teenager filmed his actions and sent the footage to the unidentified individual via a messaging app. The prosecution claims the promised reward was never paid to the minor. The name of the defendant has not been disclosed. In the list of "extremists and terrorists" maintained by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of Russia (Rosfinmonitoring), there is only one 17-year-old native of Kaluga, Sergey Maksimov, but it is unclear if he is the person in question. Meanwhile, in September 2024, the Astra Telegram channel reported that 17-year-old student Ilya Ovchinnikov had been detained on suspicion of attempting to set fire to a relay cabinet on the same railway section. He had been detained back in July 2024, while the arson took place in August 2023. A criminal case on charges of terrorism was opened against him.

In Saint Petersburg, a 14-year-old teenager was detained for setting fire to a defunct police station. According to investigators, on Aug. 2, he threw a bottle with burning mixture into the police station, took a photo of the fire, and fled. There were no injuries, and the fire was quickly extinguished. Upon arrest, the teenager claimed he was instructed by fraudsters who promised him 250,000 rubles [$3,120]. The Investigative Committee stated the boy would be charged with an act of terror. According to Fontanka [pro-Russian media outlet of the Leningrad region], the detained individual is a 14-year-old native of Azerbaijan.

In annexed Sevastopol, law enforcement detained a man accused of passing information about air defense facilities to Ukrainian intelligence services. A criminal case of "state treason" has been initiated against the detainee.

Assistance

In the Zabaykalsky region, the government redirected 30 million rubles [$373,900] to the activities of the Patriotic autonomous non-profit organization related to the "special military operation" and demilitarization of military vehicles. The funds are being reallocated from the "Budgetary Sustainability" category to support national defense and security activities.

Longreads

The Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet reported on the election in the Siberian village of Vidim, where local resident Aleksey Voroshilov, previously mobilized for war, won. He spent several months addressing village issues before being sent back to the frontline under threat of imprisonment.

The outlet also covered Said Murtazaliyev, a high school senior from Russia’s constituent Republic of Dagestan, who traveled to Moscow for winter break and was coerced into signing a contract. After being sent to the frontline, he bribed commanders to avoid being sent into an assault and spoke about it in a video address and since then, he has not been heard from.

The Vyorstka media outlet discusses efforts by relatives to assist migrants recruited for the war, despite resistance from local human rights activists who oppose mercenary activities.