Mobilization in Russia for June 7-9, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

Mobilized soldier Artur Sarkisyan from Moscow ended up in a basement for refuseniks in the village of Zaitseve, located in the "LPR," after fleeing his military unit due to death threats. Despite having sustained two injuries in 2023, he was sent back to service, where he was subjected to blackmail and threats. In March 2024, the command of his company of the 15th Motorized Rifle Regiment changed, and the newly appointed officers began demanding money from the soldiers for not sending them on assaults. Sarkisyan refused to pay the demanded 300,000 rubles [$3,370], which led to beatings and death threats. As a result, he decided to flee, taking weapons and grenades with him. On March 25, he managed to reach a commandant's office, where he was detained and then sent to the basement for refuseniks in Zaitseve without his belongings. He has not been heard from since. His relatives are currently trying to obtain information about his whereabouts and fate.

Mobilized soldier Aleksey Gaun has reported that he is now in the Donetsk region and has been assigned to assault troops despite needing a cane to move after being wounded. Additionally, according to the press service of the Southern Military District, he is facing criminal charges for going AWOL. It is worth noting that Gaun was previously ordered back to the frontline despite his disability. A week ago, he was summoned to his military unit, forcibly put on a bus, and taken to an airport, after which he was sent to the "DPR."

According to the Astra Telegram channel, Russian "war correspondent" Yevgeny Lisitsyn attempted to refute losses near the city of Kharkiv with a fake statement from the military. On June 7, a video appeared on pro-Russian Telegram channels, in which Russian soldiers allegedly denied the destruction of the 1009th Motorized Regiment fighting in the Kharkiv direction. However, as a subscriber of Astra noted, the video turned out to be fake: it was indeed likely recorded near Kharkiv, but it featured fighters from the BARS unit. In the original video, which was published on June 5, the soldiers were asking for drones to be sent to them. It is likely that another audio track was added during the editing process. Previously, the Pskovskaya Guberniya media outlet reported on the dire situation of the 1009th Regiment, which mainly consists of mobilized soldiers from the Pskov region, and Astra published a video address by contract soldier Anton Andreyev from the same regiment, who spoke about the failed offensive on the town of Vovchansk and heavy losses. Subsequently, the anonymous Northern Channel Telegram channel posted a fake story about the destruction of the 1009th Regiment, which was actively circulated in pro-Ukrainian channels. It turned out that this channel had previously operated under a different name and had posted content supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In Moscow, servicemen of the Storm-Z unit have recorded a video address to the Ministry of Defense. According to the soldiers, draft offices and their military unit are ignoring their appeals and failing to provide them with any supporting certificates or documents, which prevents the men from receiving military ID cards. Additionally, the soldiers claim that their criminal records have not been expunged, despite promises to do so, and that the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund has refused to provide them with assistance, claiming that the status of ex-convicts who served in the Storm-Z unit has not yet been determined.

Meanwhile, relatives of mobilized soldiers from Russia's constituent Republic of Bashkortostan have also recorded a video address. According to the relatives, the mobilized soldiers of the 1219th Regiment, including those who are not fully healed and wounded, are repeatedly sent on assault missions despite being promised service in the rear. The relatives claim that the regiment’s command transferred the mobilized to the "Ukrainian soldiers of the DPR" as contract soldiers, despite the fact that they did not sign a contract. There, their personal belongings, documents and weapons were confiscated. The mobilized were placed in an illegal basement prison "as prisoners of war," from where unknown individuals took them and sent them on assaults. The relatives demand to send an inspection to the 1219th Regiment and to transfer the mobilized soldiers “to the second line of defense.”

Assistance

The mother of 47-year-old soldier Maksim Buklynov, who was killed in the war two years ago, is still unable to obtain benefits and a combat veteran certificate. According to the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund, she has not collected the necessary documents.

Meanwhile, Anna Tsivilyova, head of the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund, stated that "heroes of the special military operation" will work at Yandex.Taxi, Russian Railways [Russian fully state-owned railway company], the Rostec state corporation, and Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation after returning from the war. Allegedly, agreements have already been signed with these and other corporations. Later, Daily Storm, which had interviewed Tsivilyova, removed the mention of Yandex.Taxi without explanation.

Miscellaneous

In Chelyabinsk, Tatyana Sokolova, the mother of a fallen soldier, plans to run for the city council as a United Russia party [Putin's ruling party] candidate. After her son was wounded in Ukraine, she opened the Mother's Hands fund to support those fighting in the Donbas. After recovering from his injuries, her son returned to the war and was killed in 2023.

Longreads

Journalists from the Novaya Vkladka [New Tab] media outlet investigated why Russian teenagers become military volunteers. Initially, it seemed that the main motivation was to gain points for university admission, but this turned out not to be the case. Few points are awarded, but the atmosphere and the sense of involvement in a "great cause" attract even those who initially considered themselves "apolitical." Additionally, the work of collecting and packing "humanitarian aid" for the military is much easier than working in a hospital or helping with cleaning.