Mobilization in Russia for June 25-26, 2023 CIT Volunteer Summary
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Armed Rebellion: Aftermath
The National Anti-Terrorism Committee and the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin announced the cancellation of the counter-terrorism operation regime that had been declared on Jun. 24 in Moscow, as well as in the Moscow and Voronezh regions.
Chairman of the Committee on State Building and Legislation of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] Pavel Krasheninnikov stated that recently adopted law restricts convicts from signing the contract for military service with anything other than the Ministry of Defense: "Previously, it was possible for private military companies to conclude contracts with those sentenced. Now a different procedure has been adopted by law and described in full, according to which it's possible to enlist under a contract with the Ministry of Defense only." However, Krasheninnikov hasn't specified the previous "procedure" through which convicts had ended up in "private military companies."
Governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoyt announced the reinforcement of the territorial garrison in the region, as the local operational situation remains tense. He also stated that in the event of the Wagner Group entering the region, the authorities "were fully prepared to repel the entry." Since the beginning of the rebellion, this is the first statement made by Starovoit, who previously underwent training from instructors of the Wagner Group.
Despite Peskov's statements, the criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin has not been dropped. This is reported by the Kommersant daily newspaper and the RIA Novosti and TASS news outlets. Vazhnyye Istorii [iStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] draw attention to the fact that it is not possible to cancel the initiation of a criminal case because the twenty-four-hour period, as specified by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation for canceling a case under the article on rebellion, has already expired.
The PMC Wagner Center in Saint Petersburg resumed its operations. During the rebellion, searches were conducted at the facility, but starting from Jun. 26, the center is said to be operating "in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation," as stated by the center's spokesperson. The Wagner Group recruitment centers in Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Murmansk, Smolensk, Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh, Vladimir, Astrakhan, and Krasnodar regions continue their work. After the start of the rebellion, at least some of the centers ceased their operations. However, residents of Nizhny Novgorod found Wagner Group advertisements in their mailboxes. Probably, the letters were mailed before the start of the rebellion.
Banners with the slogans "Brothers! Let's prevent bloodshed! There are no enemies here! We can only win together!" appeared in parks in Rostov-on-Don. The authorities have not responded to journalists' inquiries about the origin and timing of these banners. In the Pushkin district of Saint Petersburg, both the authorities and school directors have published identical posts in support of Putin. It was previously reported that regional leaders and other Russian politicians were instructed to record messages with support for the president in light of Prigozhin's rebellion.
As reported by First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, the demand for cash rose by 30% in 15 Russian regions. The increase reached 70% to 80% in the Rostov, Voronezh and Lipetsk regions. According to Belousov, the demand began to decline on Sunday and got "fully stabilized" on Monday.
Latvian authorities have announced suspension of accepting all types of visa applications from Russians “owing to the unpredictable development of domestic political events in Russia.”
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
Residents of the Sverdlovsk region again began to receive notices from draft offices for military service register data check-up. The Central Military District claims that the data check-up in draft offices is a standard procedure.
Governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev has announced that contracted and volunteer servicemen who signed the contract for a year or longer, would get a one-time payment of 100,000 rubles [$1185]. Previously, the region’s authorities promised a one-time payment of 150,000 rubles [$1777]. Golubev has attributed the difference in the amounts to "the budget’s capabilities."
Mobilized Soldiers and Volunteer Fighters
Mobilized soldiers from the Storm unit of the 34th Brigade, stationed in the Zaporizhzhia direction, are complaining that they are being sent to the frontline without ammunition, water, and food. Earlier, the military suffered losses and retreated upon the command's orders. Now they have been given an ultimatum—either return to the frontline or face criminal charges. The relatives of the mobilized soldiers have addressed the Governor of the Stavropol region. According to them, about 50 people are being forced to go to the frontline under the threat of execution. Yaroslav Nilov, a member of the State Duma, announced that the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) [right-wing populist and ultranationalist political party] would appeal to the military prosecutor's office regarding this situation.
Wives of the mobilized soldiers from Moscow and the Moscow region have also lodged complaints with the authorities. Their loved ones from the 1430th Regiment were sent to the front positions without bulletproof vests "to increase mobility" and without artillery cover, as ordered by the command. As a result, they suffered losses and retreated. Now they are being sent to the frontline again, with the threat of being declared deserters if they refuse.
In Irkutsk, at the Aleksandrovskoye cemetery, a special area of 20 hectares has been allocated for the soldiers who were killed in Ukraine. A correspondent from the Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet visited the cemetery and discovered more than 10 fresh graves, with almost all personal information of the killed removed from social media. Obituaries for those buried after March 2023 are absent.
A severely wounded mobilized resident of Yekaterinburg, who had been under the care of his twin brother in the hospital for the past few months, was able to speak again, despite doctors’ predictions that he would remain in a vegetative state. We mentioned this story in our previous summaries.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings, and Incidents
The State Duma will consider a draft resolution on amnesty in honor of the 100th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, submitted by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation back in November 2022. The document proposes to dismiss a prosecution and free from punishment those convicted under a number of articles, including the dissemination of knowingly false statements about the Russian Armed Forces and the repeated discrediting of the army. Additionally, it suggests granting amnesty to those who participated in wars in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine, as well as to those accused and convicted of insulting the feelings of religious believers and involvement in the activities of undesirable organizations.
In Abakan, a military court sentenced private Stanislav Chusteyev to five years in a penal colony under the charge of desertion during the mobilization period. According to the court, on Dec. 5, 2022, Chusteyev left his unit to visit relatives and reported to the draft office on Feb. 13, 2023.
On June 6, the Sochi Garrison Military Court sentenced contract soldier Denis Naumov to two years and three months in a penal settlement for refusing to go to war with Ukraine. He was found guilty of disobeying orders in the martial law period. According to the court, the commander informed the soldiers about the need to go to war and offered to those who disagreed an opportunity to step out of the rank. Naumov stepped out of the rank and subsequently signed his refusal to follow the order.
Volunteer fighter Rustam Kerimbayev from the Vladimir region, who submitted a resignation report upon the expiration of his contract, was sentenced by the Vladimir Garrison Military Court to two years in a penal colony. Kerimbayev himself stated that he wants to go back to the frontlines.
The Ministry of Defense demands that volunteers whose contracts have expired return to the frontlines. Those who refuse are facing charges of desertion. Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] has shared stories of former volunteer fighters who are accused or suspected of going AWOL.
A court sentenced 70-year-old scientist Valery Golubkin to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason. The criminal case against the scientist was initiated due to his involvement in an international project to develop a hypersonic passenger aircraft. According to the investigation, Golubkin allegedly shared reports with colleagues from the Netherlands that contained state secrets. However, the defense stated that the documents had been thoroughly checked by specialists three times before being sent and did not contain any classified information. Furthermore, Golubkin's lawyer mentioned that the scientist did not have access to highly classified materials referenced in his case.
The court in Omsk has ordered the detention of a man until Aug. 3 on charges of railway sabotage. He is allegedly associated with the "Freedom of Russia Legion." In the early morning of Jun. 5, two relay cabinets were set on fire on the railway in Omsk.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of a resident of the Amur region for multiple transfers of funds intended for the purchase of drones for the AFU. According to the FSB, the detained individual is originally from the Lviv region and holds Russian citizenship.
Two local residents were detained by the FSB in Yalta, Crimea on suspicion of collaborating with the Ukrainian special services. They allegedly provided the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] with information about the situation on the peninsula t and expressed their readiness to commit sabotage. The men have been charged with cooperation with a foreign country and face up to eight years in prison.
Timofey Rudenko, a resident of Moscow, who was supposed to be released on Jun. 24 after the third arrest in a row, was reported missing in Istra as reported by his mother. She believes that Rudenko was re-arrested. The young man has been pursued since May 2022, when the symbols of the Azov regiment were confiscated from him.
Associate Professor Belousov's students expelled from Saint Petersburg University were denounced. Their case is considered by the General Directorate for Countering Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The denunciation was sent by members of the closed Telegram channel Otchoty po bor'be s prestupnost'yu [Reports on Combating Crime].
Lawyer Irina Gak, who represented the interests of activist Anatoly Berezikov, who died in a special detention center, has left Russia. A search was previously conducted at her place.
Assistance
The Veterany Rossii po KHMAO [Russian Veterans in Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous district] public organization purchased and equipped a truck loaded with assistance to send it to the "special military operation" zone with the help of local residents, schools and a kindergarten.
A volunteer from Buryatia collects money for the war and in a year and a half she managed to collect over 20 million rubles [$235,500]. This money was used to buy medicine, uniforms for soldiers, equipment, and a car.
Children
Officials in Novosibirsk denied accreditation to the independent Novocollege, whose ex-director Sergey Chernyshov refused to host "Talking About Important Things" [propaganda lessons for students glorifying the war]. Chernyshov, who had previously been declared a foreign agent and forced to leave the college, said it himself.
In kindergarten No. 127 in Kursk, the Zarnichka military sports game was organized for preschoolers. Children ran a relay race in bulletproof vests, dressed up in helmets and played with assault rifles, while invited schoolchildren demonstrated marching and the use of firearms. In kindergarten No. 15 in the village of Sima, Vladimir region, a "patriotic" playground with the Kremlin and the Eternal Flame will be set up.
Miscellaneous
A resident of Saint Petersburg, who served as a Major, resigned from the Russian Army as a battalion commander shortly before the start of the war with Ukraine. He was 36 years old at the time, and he decided that he did not want to "degrade further in this system." The retired serviceman told the Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet about the disintegration of the Army.