Mobilization in Russia for June 28-30, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Federal Tax Service of Russia has classified the financial statements of the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund, which is headed by Anna Tsivilyova, the daughter of a cousin of Vladimir Putin. She was recently appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. A year ago, the fund distributed 1.3 billion rubles [$15.21 million] allocated by the government in such a way that most of the money was used to cover the fund’s operations and the salaries of its employees. Only 3% reached the so-called "defenders of the Fatherland." The government allocated another 5 billion rubles [$58.49 million] a few months later, and 18 billion rubles [$211 million] in February of this year.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
Andrey Schastliviy, the former head of a municipal metro construction company in Novosibirsk, departed for war. Previously, he had been charged with mediating large-scale bribes. The Lyubit Novosibirsk [Love Novosibirsk] Telegram channel reports that he allegedly serves in comfortable conditions, thanks to his old military connections.
Vylegzhinin and Chernykh, two suspected fraudsters, have left to fight in the war against Ukraine to avoid criminal prosecution. Customers of the construction company they owned have filed dozens of fraud claims. The total damage exceeds 15 million rubles [$175,500]. One of them wrote threats to the defrauded customers while being enrolled in the armed forces.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
​The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Aleksandr Burakov and Leonid Samylov from the Kirov region, Ivan Ionov from the Chelyabinsk region, Sergey Sidnenko from the Stavropol region, Vladimir Konechnykh from Russia’s constituent Republic of Buryatia, Aleksandr Shokurov and Vitaly Shipikhin from Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan, Timur Ilyausinov from the Tyumen region, as well as Aleksey Bondarev from the Rostov region.
Ivan Marchenko, a 40-year-old serviceman, went missing a week after being sent to an illegal basement prison in the village of Zaitseve, in the Russian-occupied part of the Luhansk region of Ukraine. In August 2023, Marchenko signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and was stationed at a military unit in Belgorod until February 2024. The serviceman had never been deployed to the combat zone, and his last contact was on Feb. 17 when he managed to report that he and 10-12 other people had been loaded onto a bus and transported to Zaitseve, allegedly as a punishment for drinking alcohol. The soldiers’ mobile phones were confiscated. The MoD has informed Marchenko’s relatives that he is officially listed as missing as of Feb. 26.
Another group of soldiers, who have not yet completed their medical treatment, are being prepared to return to the frontline. One of them, Pavel, a 34-year-old single father who has been shell-shocked three times, informed the Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel about the situation. According to him, the results of the military medical examination of the servicemen of the 150th Division (the village of Persianovsky in the Rostov region) were recently reviewed. However, Pavel was transferred to an assault regiment without reviewing his medical documents. Among the other soldiers to be transferred are disabled individuals who can only move with crutches. Pavel also needs a cane to get around because of an injury he sustained two years ago. He is missing a knee joint, has suffered three shell shocks and is almost deaf in his right ear. Nevertheless, he has been deemed fully fit for military service.
Soldiers of the 26th Tank Regiment of the 47th Guards Tank Division have recorded an appeal complaining that wounded soldiers in need of surgery are being sent from hospitals back to the forward positions, even though many can only move with the help of crutches. According to the soldiers, there are only 50 men left from three companies and they are currently in the "LPR." In their appeal, the soldiers stated that they have documents issued by the hospitals. These documents indicate that the soldiers should be granted leave for their injuries and that some of them need rehabilitation, but none of this is being done. Not all of them have received veteran certificates, and not all of them are receiving their pay and injury compensations. Requests for referral to the military medical board are not being accepted. Previously, there have been numerous complaints from soldiers about the return of inadequately treated servicemen of the 47th TD to the war.
A soldier from the 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade has also complained about the sending of inadequately treated wounded soldiers to the frontline. According to him, 12 soldiers were given the "G" service fitness category (temporarily unfit for military service) by the military medical board after being treated for their injuries. However, upon arriving at the brigade's home base in the village of Roshchinsky near the city of Samara, they were informed that they would be sent back to the frontline near the city of Luhansk.
Activists have discovered new graves of fallen soldiers from the Irkutsk region. Updated satellite images on Google Earth, for the first time in a year, show several regional cemeteries. According to the Irkutsky Blog website, the number of graves in the dedicated military section of the Aleksandrovsky cemetery in the city of Irkutsk has increased from a few dozen to over a hundred, and in the cemetery in the town of Shelekhov from seven to more than 30. An independent count by the Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet has identified 1,324 names of fallen soldiers from the Irkutsk region.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
Kirill Shulga, a 37-year-old serviceman of the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, received a three-year probation sentence for hooliganism for detonating a flashbang grenade in the presence of children near the entrance of a residential building in Kazan. No one was injured in the incident. The court took into account Shulga's participation in the war, his "awards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs," and his "desire to continue military service in the special military operation zone." The man had multiple prior convictions for robbery, burglary, document theft, fraud, attempted theft, and drunk driving. Shulga was last convicted in 2023.
A mobilized resident of the Tyumen region, Aleksandr, was sentenced to 10 years in a general regime penal colony for going AWOL. The serviceman deserted four times.
Participation in the war was recognized as fleeing from justice. A court in Moscow issued a warrant for the arrest of Andrey Kochanov, a suspect in a major fraud case. Kochanov, who was under house arrest, failed to appear at a scheduled hearing. The defendant's representatives explained his absence by citing a trip to Rostov-on-Don to sign a contract for participation in the "special military operation," but the court found this explanation unconvincing. The victim's lawyers argue that signing a contract for combat operations should not be used to evade criminal responsibility.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has initiated a high treason case against Samara artist Irina Izmaylova. She was detained in September 2023 and is currently in a pre-trial detention center accused of manufacturing explosives. It is worth noting that she was in a relationship with Samara activist Aleksandr Kudashev, who joined the "Russian Volunteer Corps" in the summer of 2023.
A criminal case for "calls for terrorism" has been initiated against Georgy G., a 30-year-old resident of North Ossetia-Alania [constituent republic of Russia], who spoiled his ballot during the presidential elections. Law enforcement officers considered the depiction of a hanged man, the slogan "Glory to Ukraine" and an expletive in the box with Putin's name as a public call for terrorism. According to investigators, by defacing the ballot, Georgy allegedly called on an "indefinite number of people" to hang Putin and violently change the government in favor of Ukraine's interests. Georgy faces three to five years in prison.
Children and Educational System
As noted by the Sirena [Siren] Telegram channel, Moscow students will be sent to attend propaganda meetings organized by the media holding of Margarita Simonyan [Russian propagandist, editor-in-chief of the RT international news television network].
The Movement of the First [state-led youth movement] will send children for a summer vacation in North Korea. According to the organization's chairman, Grigory Gurov, the children's camp is "an absolute equivalent of the Artek children's center, with good conditions.”
The government of the Novosibirsk region has adopted a "Concept for the Development of State Youth Policy" in the region until 2030. Officials aim to shape "young residents of the region with a national mindset and a patriotically anchored system of values and views."
Miscellaneous
A record number of foreigners have been expelled from Russia following the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack. In the first half of 2024, at least 11,376 migrants were deported from Russia, a quarter more than in the same period last year, according to the Takiye Dela [So It Goes] media outlet, which analyzed court statistics. In the three months following the terrorist attack, Russian courts received more than 31,000 protocols for violations of migration laws—10,500 more than in the same period in 2023. Raids have continued in Russian cities during this time: for instance, at the Red Mosque in Astrakhan, law enforcement officers blocked the exits after Friday prayers, checking documents, and detained several people—some link this raid to the terrorist attack in Russia’s constituent Republic of Dagestan on June 23. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the raid at the mosque was conducted to identify violators of migration laws.
Residents of the Grayvoronsky district in the Belgorod region have recorded a video address to Putin and the Minister of Defense, complaining about daily attacks and drone strikes. They are also gathering signatures for a collective appeal. Activists report that due to the attacks, there are shortages of food and medicine, and the government's payments of 10,000 rubles [$120] do not help to normalize the situation. Meanwhile, regional authorities have begun distributing helmets, body armor, and fire extinguishers to residents of border villages.
Longreads
The Kosa Telegram channel detailed an attack by war participant Nikolay Merzly. In late May 2024, Merzly, who had previously been convicted eight times, attacked his wife Darya and his mother-in-law with a knife. He inflicted 13 stab wounds on his wife and three on his mother-in-law, both of whom were hospitalized in critical condition.