Mobilization in Russia for March 15-17, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Russian government endorsed a Ministry of Justice bill that would allow convicts who joined the war to undergo voluntary probation upon returning from service—a resocialization and social adaptation program. After discharge from military service, the program would provide psychological and medical assistance, employment support, and access to education. To enroll in post-penitentiary probation, service members returning from the frontline would need to submit an application to the penal inspection service, which would assess their "individual need" for resocialization. The Interior Ministry had proposed making probation mandatory for three years for such individuals, but the Ministry of Justice declined, arguing that the measure should remain voluntary.
The Defense Ministry published a draft of an updated list of medical conditions that prevent individuals from signing a contract during mobilization, martial law and wartime. The ministry seeks to add a wide range of mental illnesses to the list, including organic, acute psychotic, delusional and schizotypal disorders, as well as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, developmental and behavioral disorders, intellectual disabilities, and mental and behavioral disorders caused by psychoactive substance use. The ministry also proposes expanding and detailing the list of substances for which candidates are tested upon entering military service, adding synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones ("bath salts"), and benzodiazepines. In an explanatory note, the ministry states that adopting the amendments is necessary to keep individuals with mental disorders out of contract military service and to prevent "suicidal incidents" in the army. Active-duty service members with conditions on the list will not be discharged from service.
Army Recruitment
In Russia's constituent republic of Udmurtia, representatives of the draft office attempted to recruit a 50-year-old man while he was undergoing treatment in a psychiatric hospital. According to his mother, after he refused to sign a contract, a doctor told him he could be handed over to the military instead of being discharged home. The woman came to the hospital and threatened to file complaints with the Health Ministry and the prosecutor’s office, after which her son was discharged the same day.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said after talks with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Kenyan citizens will no longer be recruited into the Russian Armed Forces to take part in the war against Ukraine. Previously, Kenyan intelligence services had reported that more than 1,000 Kenyan nationals may have been fighting on Russia’s side.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Relatives of a 30-year-old serviceman from the 132nd Motorized Rifle Brigade have reported that he and other soldiers were subjected to torture. At the end of last year, the man and several of his fellow soldiers were wounded after hitting a mine. He then went to the city of Donetsk to recover, but after being persuaded by a company sergeant—who promised to recommend him for an award and grant him leave—he returned to his unit. Upon return, he was placed in a basement, where he was beaten and threatened with being sent on an assault mission. The soldier managed to escape and head back to Donetsk, but was detained at a checkpoint. On Dec. 26, he was returned to the unit. Later, a deputy commander for political affairs told his relatives that the man had been sent on a combat mission and has been listed as missing in action since Dec. 29.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
In the Moscow region, the Naro-Fominsk Garrison Military Court has sentenced Pavel Tarasov, a 36-year-old contract soldier, to 11.5 years of imprisonment for grievous bodily harm resulting in death, car theft and going AWOL. According to the verdict, during a conflict, Tarasov assaulted an acquaintance to death. Afterward, Tarasov, under the influence of alcohol, stole the victim's car, was involved in a traffic accident, and fled the scene. Upon his arrest, it was discovered that he was also wanted by the military commandant's office for failing to report for duty after leave. Tarasov participated in the war against Ukraine and had previously been prosecuted several times.
The Southern District Military Court has begun the trial of 54-year-old war participant Arkady Dorofeyev, accused of complicity in murder committed by a group with public demonstration, and abuse of power involving violence committed by a group. The trial is held behind closed doors, and the details of the charges are not disclosed. It is likely that the case involves video recording or live streaming of torture and murder. Dorofeyev is a former police officer from Barnaul, the capital of Russia's constituent Republic of Altai. In 2019, after being dismissed from the service, he was sentenced to three years and eight months of imprisonment for theft and death threats. In 2022, he was tried again for theft. During the war, he enlisted in the Wagner Group from a penal colony and subsequently received the title of Hero of Russia.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced 29-year-old Andriy Haliuk, a member of the Azov Brigade, to 20 years in prison on charges of participating in a terrorist community and providing terrorism training. As Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] notes, Haliuk joined the unit in the spring of 2017 and served as a radio telegraph operator at a communications hub. He was taken prisoner in May 2022 after Ukrainian forces withdrew from the Azovstal Steel Factory.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced 28-year-old Bohdan Belinov, a member of the Azov Brigade, to 27 years in prison on charges of terrorism training and participation in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors allege that Belinov joined Azov in 2016 and served as a sniper. In May 2022, he was captured during the defense of the city of Mariupol. This marks the second sentence handed down against him. In September 2025, the "Supreme Court of the DPR," established by Russian authorities, sentenced him to 23 years in prison for the murder of civilians.
In Maykop, a teenager was arrested on suspicion of sabotage. According to investigators, the teenager and his accomplices set fire to a cell tower in Adygea [Russia's constituent republic].
In Penza, authorities have detained a 17‑year‑old in a terrorism case involving conspiracy to commit an act of terror. Investigators said that no later than March 7, the teenager entered into a conversation in a messenger app with an unidentified individual who offered him "easy money" to set fire to communication facilities. Between March 7 and 9, he allegedly set fire to three mobile radio communication stations in Penza, filming the incidents on his phone.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 45‑year‑old resident of Feodosia on high treason charges. According to law enforcement, the man sent photographs of Russian military vehicles involved in Crimea’s air defense system to Ukrainian intelligence via Telegram. The FSB claimed that the information could have been used to adjust strikes against Russian troop positions.
At the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg, the trial has begun of 19-year-old Kirov resident Ali Mekhdiev, who is charged with treason and participation in a terrorist organization. According to investigators, he applied via Telegram to join the Freedom of Russia Legion in January 2024, after which he received instructions to paint anti-war graffiti in Kirov and set fire to a railway relay cabinet. In late September 2024, Mekhdiev wrote several anti-war slogans criticizing the war on buildings and heating pipelines and sent photographs of them to a "coordinator." He later purchased tools and flammable materials to carry out the arson but ultimately abandoned the plan. Investigators also allege that he intended to sign a contract with the MoD and deploy to the war in order to later defect to Ukraine. FSB officers detained him on June 18, 2025, at the Kirov railway station. He has pleaded guilty.
The Arkhangelsk Regional Court has sentenced a 21-year-old resident of the Arkhangelsk region to 13 years in prison in a case involving treason, sabotage, and preparation for sabotage. According to investigators, in May 2023 the young man established contact with representatives of an unnamed "terrorist organization" allegedly controlled by Ukrainian intelligence services. In the early hours of Feb. 20, 2024, acting on instructions, he set fire to relay and battery cabinets on a railway section near the Kostylevo station and then began preparing another arson attack at the same site. He was detained by FSB officers in March 2024. The defendant’s name has not been disclosed, but according to court records, he had already been sentenced in May 2025 for "confidential cooperation" with a foreign state or organization. At that time, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The Primorsky Regional Court has sentenced a local resident to 14 years of imprisonment on charges of treason and financing extremist activities. According to investigators, the man transferred more than 13,000 rubles [$160] to the Anti-Corruption Foundation and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The name of the convicted individual has been withheld in court materials.
The Saint Petersburg City Court has sentenced 49-year-old Ivan Kartashov to 14 years in prison for treason. According to investigators, the man, who opposed the policies of the Russian authorities and the war against Ukraine, attempted to establish contact with the CIA and offered to sell "classified documentation" regarding a specific facility and UAV complexes. In court, Kartashov acknowledged the factual circumstances but stated that he intended to deceive US intelligence and obtain money.
The "Kherson Regional Court," established by the Russian occupation authorities, has sentenced 47-year-old Ukrainian citizen Olena Nishanova to 10 years in prison for espionage. According to investigators, in April 2024, the woman collected and transmitted information to Ukrainian intelligence regarding the movement and locations of Russian military vehicles and servicemen.
Longreads
Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] identified the authors of Telegram channels that publish executions of Ukrainian soldiers and other similar scenes of violence, and also spoke with some of the authors.