Mobilization in Russia for June 1-3, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
A group of lawmakers introduced a bill to the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] under which the families of orphaned military personnel who died in service could claim a housing allowance owed to the deceased. If a widow remarries, she would forfeit the right to this benefit. According to the document, the law would apply retroactively to cases occurring since Feb. 24, 2022. Currently, if an orphaned service member dies before receiving a housing allowance, his family, including his widow and children, loses the right to this benefit.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
In Russia's constituent republic of Bashkortostan, authorities have reduced the regional component of the sign-up bonus paid to individuals enlist. From June 5 onwards, they will receive one million rubles [$12,700] instead of the 1.6 million rubles [$20,320] established in January of this year. Those signing contracts at draft offices and recruitment centers in Ufa, who used to receive 1.2 million rubles [$15,300], will now receive 600,000 rubles [$7,630] from regional authorities. They nevertheless remain eligible for an additional 700,000 rubles [$8,900] from the municipality, whose mayor extended the offer’s validity until the end of 2025. Payment amounts could undergo further revision, as the new decree is valid through June 30 only. Previously, officials extended the authorization of higher amounts until May 15, but not beyond it.
A 62-year-old former member of the Federation Council and ex-lawmaker in the Novosibirsk regional legislature, Vladimir Laptev, who was sentenced to five years in prison, has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense to participate in the war. In 2023 Laptev was convicted for bribery and fraud. He offered a fellow legislator a publicly funded position on a commission he chaired and took possession of the deputy's salary card. The bribe was estimated at 1.2 million rubles [$15,300]. Additionally, Laptev fraudulently placed his daughter and an acquaintance on the payroll as his aides, though they never performed the job. Together, they received about 1 million rubles [$12,700] over two years.
Children
In schools across Russia, the Movement of the First state-led youth movement has been holding sessions for children titled Wartime Recipes. The lessons detail how people baked flatbreads without flour, drank oat infusions instead of milk, and dried apples during past wartime food shortages. In some cases, children were encouraged to recreate the recipes themselves.
Assistance
Authorities in the Samara region and Saint Petersburg have announced a second round of recruitment for regional reintegration programs aimed at war participants. Samara’s initiative enrolled 45 people in the new intake, with another 45 on a waitlist. In Saint Petersburg, officials reported receiving 500 applications for its Time of Heroes personnel program, though they have not disclosed how many applicants will ultimately be accepted.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
A military court has sentenced a serviceman to six years in a penal colony for desertion. On July 15, 2023, the man failed to report to his military unit, as he wanted to "take a break from fulfilling his duties." A year and a half later, on Feb. 13, 2025, he was detained by police and returned to the unit. As noted by the Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel, there has been a significant increase in frequency of desertion charges applied to servicemen gone AWOL since the end of 2024. The maximum penalty for desertion is a prison sentence of up to 15 years in a maximum security penal colony.
In Omsk, a participant in the war has been sentenced to five years on probation for going AWOL. On July 20, 2024, he went home to his family and did not return to his military unit. After several months, the man voluntarily reported to the commandant's office and confessed. The court took into account his young age, remorse, awards, as well as participation in the "special military operation" when determining the sentence.
A case of extortion has been opened against military officer Andrey Marchenkov, the Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty online media outlet] and the team of the Hello, You’re a Foreign Agent podcast reports. Several of Marchenkov’s fellow soldiers testified against him, saying that he extorted money from them in exchange for a promise not to send them to storm the city, but did so anyway. The amounts ranged from 500,000 rubles [$6,360] to 3 million rubles [$38,100], with Marchenkov receiving more than 20 million rubles [$254,300] overall. Marchenkov went to war as a mercenary for the Wagner Group in March 2022, and six months later signed a contract with the MoD, according to his wife, beauty blogger Irina Soroka. In August 2024, she announced that she had rescued him from a prison for refuseniks, where he was allegedly put for refusing to go into battle. According to relatives of Marchenkov's fellow soldiers, he ended up in prison specifically for extortion. Before the Russian invasion, he had already been tried for fraud and theft for defrauding elderly women of 2 million rubles [$25,400].
In Irkutsk, a court found the head of a military hospital department, a neurologist, and a janitor at a regional hospital guilty of producing fake medical certificates and accepting bribes for exemption from military service. From January 2022 to December 2023, they prepared fictitious documents for conscripts and soldiers, receiving 2.5 million rubles [$31,800] for this. The amount of one bribe varied from 100,000 rubles [$1,270] to 260,000 rubles [$3,310]. There are 16 criminal episodes in the case. The head of the hospital department received 4 years in a maximum security penal colony, the doctor received 11 years in a maximum security penal colony, and the janitor received 5 years in a maximum security penal colony.
In the Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], the Federal Security Service (FSB) detained two young men who, according to the agency, tried to set fire to relay cabinets on the railway "following instructions from Ukrainian intelligence services."
In the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], a 16-year-old schoolboy has been detained in a case involving the arson of cars "with patriotic symbols." A criminal case was initiated on charges of deliberate damage to property motivated by hatred. The teenager became a victim of fraud. First, an unknown woman called him, introduced herself as the deputy principal of his school and asked him to send a photo of his passport. Then he received a call from a "law enforcement officer" who told him about a hacked account on the Gosuslugi public services portal and asked him to transfer money "to a secure account." The student transferred 200,000 rubles [$2,540] from his mother’s bank account, after which he was told that the money had gone "to finance a banned organization, and therefore his mother and sister could be arrested." The teenager was then given instructions to find cars with patriotic symbols and set them on fire. The ninth-grader bought a flammable liquid at a store, poured it on four cars and set them on fire using a lighter. A recognizance bond was imposed on him for the duration of the investigation.
In the Perm region [Russia’s federal subject], a resident of Solikamsk has been accused of working for Ukraine. According to law enforcement officers, acting under the instructions of "foreign handlers," he set fire to two cellular base stations. A terrorism case was initiated against him.
The FSB detained a man in Crimea who allegedly manufactured an improvised explosive device under the instructions of Ukrainian intelligence services. The detainee stated that he contacted Ukraine's intelligence services and offered them his assistance. He was tasked with going "to one of the villages" and "retrieving two packages at the given coordinates." One contained explosive material, and the second contained the remaining components. The operation then repeated, resulting in him having four packages in his garage. Six months later, the man was openly offered to assemble an IED and was sent instructions.
A 20-year-old man from the town of Izobilny in the Stavropol region was charged with participation in a terrorist organization and recruiting people. The detainee stated that from Nov. 3 to Dec. 9, 2024, he corresponded with a representative of the Russian Volunteer Corps and was allegedly asked to photograph a draft office, a police station, and a private security firm, as well as to recruit people and sign a form. According to the Investigative Committee, the detainee "inclined his 20-year-old acquaintance to participate in the activities [of the RVC], but the girl refused." The detainee's name was not provided.
A military court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced three individuals in connection with a series of explosions in the occupied city of Melitopol. According to investigators, Artyom Murdid, his wife Anna Voshkodyor, and his mother Anna Murdid carried out attacks in the occupied territories of Ukraine under the direction of an "unidentified officer of the Security Service of Ukraine." The only successful attack attributed to the group was the car bombing that killed Ivan Tkach, director of Melitopol’s state-run enterprise City Transport. A colleague of Tkach was seriously injured in the blast. Other alleged sabotage attempts, targeting railway infrastructure and local collaborators, reportedly failed. Anna Voshkodyor and Anna Murdid were charged with the illegal handling of explosives as part of an organized group, participation in a terrorist organization, committing a terrorist act resulting in death, and attempted international terrorism. In addition to these charges, Artyom Murdid was also accused of illegally manufacturing explosive devices as part of an organized group. Artyom Murdid was sentenced to life in prison. Anna Voshkodyor received a 20-year sentence, and Anna Murdid was sentenced to 22 years in a penal colony. Artyom and Anna Murdid have alleged they were subjected to abuse, beatings and electric shock torture.
Vadym Trachuk, a resident of Enerhodar in the occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in a case of international terrorism, attempted act of terror, participation in a terrorist group, illegal trafficking and manufacture of explosives with weapons, and training in terrorist activities. According to the prosecution, in the spring of 2022, 41-year-old Trachuk decided to collaborate with Ukrainian intelligence. He was instructed to kill the head of the occupation administration Andrey Shevchik. In May, the man planted an explosive device in an electrical cabinet in the entrance of an apartment building. The explosion left Shevchik and two of his guards with moderate injuries. In April 2023, Trachuk was given a new assignment—to kill the deputy HR director of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. On April 13, an explosive device was placed in the mailbox of the target's apartment, but the next day it was discovered and disarmed. On April 16, Trachuk himself was detained by the FSB.
In Samara, a court sentenced Valentina Tagirova, a refugee from Donetsk, to eight years in prison on charges of preparing an act of terror. According to investigators, in February 2023, Tagirova was contacted by an unknown individual who claimed to be a member of a Ukrainian paramilitary group. Under threat, he coerced her into photographing key city infrastructure and purchasing ingredients for an incendiary mixture. Tagirova allegedly left the materials at a designated location. In March, officers from the FSB arrived at her home, and one later detained her. Tagirova claimed the unknown contact was, in fact, Yegor Yelistratov, an FSB operative who appeared in court as a prosecution witness. During the trial, the agent admitted to watching Tagirova.
In Vladimir region, a 29-year-old man from Kovrov was arrested on charges of intended treason. Investigators say that between October 2023 and June 2024, the man negotiated with alleged recruiters from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and planned to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He reportedly completed an application, purchased combat gear, and devised a plan to leave Russia. The FSB arrested him on June 11, 2024. This is reportedly the third criminal case against the man. Previously, he was accused of photographing rundown public facilities for the SBU and encouraging terrorism online.
In the city of Kaliningrad, a court sentenced traveler Igor Kursakov to 14 years in a penal colony on charges of treason. However, taking into account a previous conviction, his final sentence will amount to 19 years in prison. The treason charge stems from the FSB’s claim that Kursakov had provided Ukrainian intelligence with information that "could be used against the security of the Russian Federation." Before that, Kursakov had been found guilty of preparing an act of terror, as well as the illegal possession and acquisition of explosives and explosive devices. His arrest was first reported in August 2022. At the time, law enforcement claimed that Kursakov, allegedly acting on orders from a handler linked to the Azov Brigade, had planned a "sabotage and terrorist attack" targeting Baltic Fleet facilities and Khrabrovo Airport. Authorities said they had found an "explosive device equivalent to about 5 kg of TNT" in his possession.
In the city of Volgograd, 21-year-old second-year university student Andrey Glukhov was sentenced to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason. In the fall, law enforcement officers searched the apartment where Glukhov lived with his mother and seized computer equipment. After being questioned by the FSB, he was initially released, but was arrested a month later, in October 2024, and placed in pre-trial detention. According to his parents, Glukhov had opposed the war and, after the start of the invasion, made contact with someone who introduced himself as a Ukrainian citizen. This acquaintance was collecting signatures "to speed up negotiations" between the two countries and also sent Glukhov a Ukrainian bank account number. Glukhov’s father says his son transferred a total of 3,000 rubles [about $38]. Glukhov has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Igor Nuzhdov, a resident of the city of Penza, has been sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason. According to his son Eduard, Nuzhdov was detained "in February or March 2024," but the family has not been informed of the specific charges against him. According to the FSB, Nuzhdov allegedly sent information throughout 2023 to representatives of the AFU regarding a Russian enterprise that is part of the country’s defense industry and involved in fulfilling state defense contracts.