Mobilization in Russia for June 5-8, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Vasily Starkov, the former head of the Sverdlovsk region's Ministry of Transport, has departed for the war in Ukraine. Previously, a court sentenced him to six and a half years in a maximum security penal colony for accepting a kickback of 4 million rubles [$50,600] from a construction company in September 2023 in exchange for signing a contract. In the fall of that year, he voluntarily resigned from his ministerial position, announcing he was heading "to the special military operation zone." However, it later emerged he was serving in the city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities detained Starkov in July 2024, initially placing him under house arrest before releasing him on his own recognizance. Even before the court delivered its verdict, the ex-official declared his readiness to enlist. On June 6, reports confirmed his deployment from a pre-trial detention center to the frontline. The court suspended proceedings on the prosecutor's appeal of his sentence at the request of the Ministry of Defense.

Vasily Kheyman, a former construction company director implicated in a case involving two Krasnodar region vice-governors, has also departed for war. As a result, authorities suspended the criminal proceedings against him. Kheyman, along with former vice-governor Sergey Vlasov and his successor Aleksandr Nesterenko, had been accused of crimes connected to construction projects in the occupied Kherson region.

In Tyumen, law enforcement officers conducted a raid, during which they identified seven naturalized citizens who had not undergone military registration. They were taken to a draft office. In total, reports indicate that since the beginning of 2025, 346 individuals with acquired Russian citizenship have been conscripted into the army.

Lawyers from the Civil Alliance of Russia have noted that draft offices have begun imposing restrictions on conscripts who have not complied with draft notices issued to them. At least four cases have already been reported. According to Alliance lawyer Oleg Filatchev, one conscript was denied vehicle registration, while three others were banned from leaving the country. Filatchev asserts that these restrictions can be challenged because each restriction on a conscript must be recorded in the electronic Draft Register, which is not yet fully operational.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

Based on open sources, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] and BBC News Russian, together with volunteers, have verified the names of 111,387 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 12,336 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 779 soldiers, 48 of whom were mobilized.

A serviceman from the 5th Motor Rifle Brigade, Yevgeny Nesterenko, is reportedly facing orders to return to the frontline despite having lost several fingers and suffering a paralyzed arm. Nesterenko, a resident of the town of Yenakiieve, was mobilized on June 20, 2022. Over the course of his service, he sustained three injuries. According to him, after each injury, he was repeatedly sent back on combat missions without proper recovery, having been prematurely discharged from hospitals and short-term leave. Nesterenko attempted to transfer to the 42nd Motor Rifle Division, where he served for nine months without receiving any pay. However, because the transfer was not approved, he was forcibly returned to the 5th Brigade. Upon his return, he was reportedly detained in a pit in the town of Dokuchaievsk before being sent back to the frontline once again. Following his third injury in the spring of 2025, which resulted in the loss of several fingers, Nesterenko was hospitalized in Chechnya [Russia's constituent republic]. There, he was classified as temporarily unfit for service and granted 30 days of leave. He successfully arranged for continued treatment at a civilian hospital. However, when he notified his unit, they allegedly marked him as AWOL and claimed that receiving treatment at a civilian hospital instead of a military facility was unauthorized.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

According to eyewitnesses cited by the Astra Telegram channel, on June 5, a passenger car collided with a military KAMAZ truck on the Prokhladny–Novopavlovsk highway, between the Stavropol region and the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria [Russia’s constituent republic]. The passenger car caught fire as a result of the crash, and the driver was killed.

A military court in the city of Ulan-Ude has sentenced former conscript Aleksey Sidorov to a three-year suspended sentence and a fine of 100,000 rubles [$1,260]. He was found guilty of extorting 20-year-old soldier Kirill Poluyanov, who was found hanged in a forest in June 2024. Investigators claim Poluyanov died by suicide, but his mother believes he was murdered. According to investigators, Sidorov had demanded 500 rubles [$6.32] and a touchscreen phone from Kirill—the phone he used while serving as a clerk in the unit’s medical section. One of Kirill’s fellow soldiers also told his mother that Sidorov had threatened and beaten him, together with other servicemen. Poluyanov’s mother said that the criminal case for incitement to suicide was closed back in December, but she was only informed of this a few days ago.

A court in the Sverdlovsk region has placed former Wagner Group mercenary Vitaly Gerasimov and his acquaintance Natalya Brodovikova under house arrest. They are accused of abusing a young woman who later died by suicide. Her body was found in a river. The deceased reportedly had a mental health condition and was classified as having a moderate disability.

The military court in Orenburg is hearing the case of serviceman Dmitry Cheypesh, who shot a man with a pistol stolen in the "DPR." In March 2023, while evacuating wounded and deceased soldiers, Cheypesh stole a pistol and ammunition. On the night of Feb. 2, 2025, during a conflict, Cheypesh fired eight shots into the man's head, torso and limbs. The victim died at the scene. Cheypesh is charged with murder, illegal possession of firearms and theft of weapons using his official position.

The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case on sabotage against a 16-year-old resident of the Arkhangelsk region. According to law enforcement officers, in the winter of 2025, she agreed via messenger to set fire to a power substation in Arkhangelsk for 100,000 rubles [$1,260]. She also involved her 16-year-old friend in the arson. The teenage girls carried out the task, recorded the arson on video and sent it to a "handler from abroad." However, the power substation was not damaged—the fire went out. The teenagers were detained in March and pleaded guilty.

A 16-year-old boy was detained in the town of Seversk, Tomsk region, on suspicion of attempting to sabotage the railway. According to investigators, from late April to early May, he unscrewed bolts and nuts from the rails and then dismantled a joint bar. His actions did not lead to serious consequences. Nevertheless, a criminal case was initiated against the ninth-grader for preparing to commit sabotage.

A court in Saint Petersburg remanded an eighth-grade student accused of setting fire to a car as an act of terror into custody. According to investigators, the 15-year-old boy received instructions from unknown individuals he communicated with via a messenger app to set fire to a car "with a specific license plate series." On June 5, the schoolboy set fire to a police officer's personal vehicle. Eyewitnesses detained the teenager at the scene.

The Southern District Military Court sentenced 46-year-old Nikolay Galantsev, a native of Russia's constituent Republic of Tatarstan, to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony for preparation for an act of terror and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization. The exact nature of the charges against Galantsev is unknown.

Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] reported thwarting a terrorist attack at a military facility in the Ryazan region. According to the agency, personnel guarding the site—part of one of the country’s security services—spotted a suspect preparing to carry out an attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle. During the arrest, the suspect reportedly resisted with armed force and was neutralized. Authorities said the individual was found carrying a non-lethal pistol modified to fire live ammunition, as well as two drones intended to drop RKG-3 grenades.

Longreads

The Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet]reported on the town of Ust-Kut, Irkutsk region, where more than half of the mobilized men have died in the war. At least 130 of those sent to fight are confirmed dead.

Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta], published a piece on video messages from soldiers, exploring why this form of communication has become one of the most common ways for troops to interact with authorities and why it has grown in popularity in recent years.

Meanwhile, Novaya Gazeta [independent Russian newspaper] reports on how Russian authorities are targeting students and schoolchildren for political reasons.

The Veter media outlet published an interview with a 47-year-old contract soldier from Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic] who went AWOL to care for his elderly mother. The story of another deserter, Anton Shirshin from Ufa, was featured by the Idel.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet.