Mobilization in Russia for July 6-8, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law that substantially increases penalties for neglecting one’s military registration obligations, imposing a minimum fine of 10,000 rubles [$130] and a maximum of 20,000 rubles [$250]. Previously, these fines ranged from 1,000 rubles [$13] to 5,000 rubles [$64]. The changes apply to individuals who do not report a change of residence to the draft office or fail to appear at the office within the required timeframe after moving.

Putin also signed another bill into law to grant stateless individuals the right to enter into contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense and expand the conditions for military service for foreign citizens, who may now serve not only during a state of emergency, martial law or armed conflicts, but also during periods of mobilization.

Moreover, Putin promised to discuss with the government and the MoD the possibility for civilian doctors to go on short-term assignments at military hospitals near the frontline without the need to sign full-term employment contracts. Currently, a full employment agreement is required for such work.

The State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] passed a bill in its third reading to grant the Federal Security Service (FSB) the authority to operate its own pre-trial detention centers for individuals accused of crimes against state security. The FSB is expected to take control of seven such facilities currently under the direct jurisdiction of the Federal Penitentiary Service. The bill’s authors argue that the changes are necessary in light of a substantial rise in criminal cases related to state treason, espionage and "confidential" cooperation with foreigners since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. They also claim that this will "increase the effectiveness of the investigation of criminal cases of this category."

Army Recruitment

The Novosibirsk District Court has suspended an attempted murder case against an 18-year-old defendant due to his signing a contract with the MoD after reaching adulthood. His accomplice was sentenced to six years in a penal colony. According to investigators, in the summer of 2023 near the village of Plotnikovo, the defendants—who were 14 and 16 years old at the time of the crime—attacked a 15-year-old during an argument, spraying him with pepper spray and then striking him multiple times with a knife and a stone.

In the Omsk region, two detained officers from the police department for combating drug trafficking signed contracts with the MoD and were deployed to a combat zone. According to investigators, Deputy Head of the Department Yevgeny Vorontsov and operative officer Sergey Sobyanin were purchasing illegal substances through online stores and reselling them via their own dealer network. The officers are suspected of attempted large-scale drug trafficking using their official positions.

In the city of Saratov, law enforcement officers carried out another raid to identify men who had obtained Russian citizenship but were evading military registration. More than 200 drivers were checked, and over 50 of them were found to be draft dodgers. All of them were issued notices requiring them to report to their local enlistment offices.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Relatives of soldiers allege that commanders of the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade are beating, torturing and throwing soldiers into pits without food or water, extorting money from them and threatening them with either murder or deployment on deadly missions without any preparation. According to family members, casualty rates under these conditions reach as high as 96%, while commanders conceal information about missing soldiers. The petition further claims that many of the missing are officially classified by commanders as having gone AWOL

The family of mobilized soldier Nikolay Lazarev reports that they have been unable to obtain any information about his fate for three years. He has not been heard from since December 2022, yet he is officially listed neither as missing in action nor as a deserter. The authorities have responded only with dismissive replies, and due to the absence of any formal status, his mother remains ineligible for death gratuity payments.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Supreme Court of Karelia [Russia’s constituent republic] has sentenced Maksim Bochkaryov and Igor Sofonov to life imprisonment in connection with a murder case in the village of Derevyannoye in the summer of 2023—the deadliest incident in the region’s modern history. A third defendant, Aleksandr Dmitriyev, received a 19-year sentence. All three were convicted of murder, grievous bodily harm, group sexual violence, unlawful entry and intentional destruction of property. One of the defendants, Igor Sofonov, a previously convicted felon, had returned from the war in Ukraine after being wounded and receiving a pardon; he had been recruited from a penal colony. In the early hours of Aug. 1, Sofonov and his accomplices broke into a private home after a night of drinking, where they beat the homeowner to death. They fatally stabbed a relative who tried to intervene and set the house on fire to destroy evidence. At a second location, they raped and murdered a woman, killed three men and once again set the house on fire. During the investigation, authorities discovered that just days earlier, the same group had raped and murdered another woman in Derevyannoye and buried her body on a nearby farm.

In Vladikavkaz, the capital of Russia's Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, a 39-year-old participant in the war has been detained on suspicion of murdering his 44-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter, as well as attempting to murder a 15-year-old girl who was hospitalized in serious condition with stab wounds. According to the Investigative Committee, the crime occurred in a domestic context. The suspect reportedly attempted to take his own life after the attack and is currently in the hospital.

On July 1, in the Perm region, a 49-year-old man named Igor Pyankov, who had returned from the war, fatally strangled his 29-year-old wife during an argument. After the murder, he attempted to flee and committed suicide during his arrest. Acquaintances noted that Pyankov had previously exhibited aggressive behavior. The couple's two children have been placed in an orphanage.

In the Kemerovo region, a 40-year-old serviceman Mikhail Astapov has been detained on suspicion of committing lewd acts against his 14-year-old stepdaughter. He has a prior criminal record, including convictions for murder, death threats, grievous bodily harm and theft. As reported by the Astra Telegram channel, Astapov signed a contract with the MoD in April 2024. In June 2025, he went AWOL and was declared wanted by authorities. As of now, no criminal case has been initiated against him.

In Kalmykia [Russia’s constituent republic], 38-year-old war participant Ivan Yurteev broke into the apartment of his 38-year-old female neighbor, injected her with an unknown substance and then raped her. According to Astra sources, a military first aid kit with ampoules was found at the scene. Yurteev has refused to testify. As of now, no criminal case has been initiated. It is known that the serviceman has previously been convicted of theft and drug-related offenses.

A contract soldier from the Stavropol region has been sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for two counts of going AWOL. In October 2023, he traveled to the Moscow region and did not return to his unit, remaining in hiding until June 2024. After being detained and reassigned, he again went AWOL and lived at home in Stavropol until his second arrest in February 2025.

The FSB has reported the detention of four residents of the Chelyabinsk, Ivanovo and Tula regions on suspicion of assisting Ukrainian intelligence services. According to investigators, the Russian citizens, born between 1992 and 2004, set fire to police vehicles, damaged power lines and filmed infrastructure facilities, acting under the influence of phone scammers. These scammers, posing as Russian law enforcement officers, convinced them to transfer between 250,000 rubles [$3,200] and 1.5 million rubles [$19,100] to "secure accounts" and later threatened them with criminal charges for "financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

The FSB in the Novosibirsk region has announced that Telegram is being used to spread fake photo contests asking participants to submit pictures of bridges, transport hubs and industrial facilities for the purpose of gathering intelligence data. According to the security services, the "actual purpose" of these contests is gathering information about critical infrastructure, and participation could potentially lead to criminal prosecution on charges of treason.

A closed-door trial notice from the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow has revealed the case of 22-year-old former serviceman Anton Khodzhayev. He faces five charges: preparation for the crime, treason, desertion, money laundering and participation in terrorist activities. Khodzhayev is accused of cooperating with the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Crimean partisan movement Atesh. According to prosecutors, he reported the locations of Russian soldiers' facilities and UAV units in exchange for money. Records show that Khodzhayev enrolled in the Gagarin Air Force Academy in 2020 but opposed the invasion in March 2022 and submitted a request for discharge. He was unable to terminate his contract with the MoD. FSB officers later detained him while he was reportedly attempting to cross the border into Ukraine.

The Central District Military Court has sentenced a 35-year-old resident of Naberezhnye Chelny to 22 years in prison on charges of participating in a terrorist organization and treason. According to the FSB, the man opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and joined a paramilitary group banned in Russia, which the agency claims is coordinated by Ukrainian intelligence services. Acting on instructions, he infiltrated the grounds of a defense plant that manufactures armored vehicles and "conducted reconnaissance" to locate production facilities. The FSB did not disclose the man’s name or the specific organization involved.

The Moscow regional court has sentenced 27-year-old Nikolay Martynov, a former employee of the Patriot Park, to 14 years in prison on charges of treason. The charges stem from leaked databases alleging that Martynov, no later than Nov. 26, 2023, "transferred previously obtained information to the enemy" that could be used against the Russian army. Martynov had worked as an engineer in the park’s technical department. He was placed in a pre-trial detention center in February 2024. Prior to that, starting from mid-December 2023, he had been administratively arrested five times for hooliganism and disobeying police protocols.

In Sevastopol, a local resident was sentenced to 17 years in prison on charges of treason. According to the investigators, the man proactively contacted a coordinator from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate of the MoD (GUR) via the Telegram messenger app. Acting on instructions, he reportedly gathered information on the locations of air observation posts, air defense units and units of the Black Sea Fleet. He was arrested in December 2024.

A court in the city of Yekaterinburg has sentenced 46-year-old Dmitry Abrakov, a native of Norilsk, to 20 years in prison on charges of treason, participating in a terrorist organization and preparing a terrorist attack. Authorities claim that Abrakov attempted to set fire to the administration building of the Chelyabinsk’s Traktorozavodsky district, allegedly acting on orders from the Freedom of Russia Legion. In the fall of 2023, a Telegram user reached out to Abrakov. Investigators believe the person represented GUR and supervised the activities of the Freedom of Russia Legion. At this handler's direction, Abrakov filmed railroad tracks and military vehicles being loaded for transport near the village of Misyash. He later joined the Freedom of Russia Legion and reportedly "took the oath." Investigators further allege that he was then instructed to photograph draft offices in three districts of Chelyabinsk, as well as locations that could be targeted with a Molotov cocktail. Ultimately, he was ordered to set fire to the administration building of the Traktorozavodsky district. For his previous assignments, he reportedly received 40,000 rubles [$510]. In the early hours of Nov. 1, 2023, Abrakov arrived at the administration building carrying Molotov cocktails but was immediately detained by FSB agents. According to Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], Abrakov insists that the person posing as a Ukrainian intelligence officer was actually an FSB operative who incited him to commit arson.

Pavel Andreev, the founder of the Syktyvkar-based cultural space Revolt-Center and one of the co-founders of the independent media outlet 7x7, has been charged with high treason. He is accused of maintaining contacts with representatives of NATO countries and "organizations used by foreign intelligence services as a cover for conducting intelligence and subversive activities in Russia." As part of this case, on July 8, law enforcement officers conducted searches targeting journalists, human rights activists and public figures in five Russian cities: Syktyvkar, Kaliningrad, Petrozavodsk, Irkutsk and Yoshkar-Ola.

Children and Militarization

In the Chunsky district of the Irkutsk region, a regional grant of 6 million rubles [$76,200] has been allocated to fund "military-patriotic initiatives." The money will be used to purchase UAVs, metal detectors and sapper and medical kits for Zarnitsa 2.0, a militarized children’s game. A portion of the money will be spent on military uniforms for schoolchildren.

Longreads

Nastoyashсheye Vremya [Current Time, an editorially independent US-funded Russian language media outlet] published a summary of a report by the ZMINA human rights center, which describes how Russian soldiers kidnapped women in occupied Kherson, tortured them and used them as hostages.