Mobilization in Russia for March 3-5, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces at 2,391,770 personnel, of which 1,502,604 are service members. This represents an increase of 2,604 military personnel. The previous decree, signed in September 2024, set the authorized strength at 2,389,130 personnel, including 1,500,000 service members. In December 2023, the size of the armed forces was increased to 2,209,130 personnel, including 1,320,000 service members. One month before the start of mobilization in August 2022, Putin increased the size of the RuAF by 137,000 personnel, bringing the total to 2,390,000, including 1,150,000 service members.
The number of convicts in Russia has reached a record low. According to Vladimir Davydov, the deputy chairman of the Supreme Court, 308,000 individuals are currently detained in pre-trial detention centers and penal colonies. A record low has also been reached in pre-trial detention centers, which currently hold 89,000 detainees. According to the Federal Penitentiary Service, there were 482,000 convicts at the beginning of 2021, and 433,000 at the beginning of 2023. This means the total has decreased by nearly 29% over the past three years, and by 40% over the past five years. At the same time, from 2010 to 2021, the number of convicts fell by 381,000, or 44%. Additionally, according to deputy chairman of the Supreme Court Vladimir Khomchik, since the beginning of 2025, courts have issued more than 5,000 rulings terminating criminal cases after defendants signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense.
The Judicial Panel on Military Cases of the Supreme Court has prepared a review summarizing judicial practices in cases involving crimes against the military service. Specifically, the Supreme Court addressed the issue of criminal liability for service members who have been classified as partially fit or unfit for service due to health conditions, corresponding to service fitness categories "V" and "D." According to the document, recent judicial practice considers servicemembers with category "V" (partially fit for military service) to be subjects of military crimes. Conversely, service members with category "D" (unfit for military service) may be held criminally liable if the offense was committed while they were performing military service. In other words, courts proceed from the principle that subsequent recognition of a servicemember as unfit for service does not eliminate liability for violations committed while serving. The review also notes that the same approach applies to mobilized men. Regarding service members recognized as temporarily unfit for service, the Supreme Court stated that temporary unfitness does not exclude criminal liability. However, a case may be dismissed if the violation was directly caused by the illness or if the illness effectively prevented the individual from acting otherwise.
Army Recruitment
The MoD plans to recruit 78,800 personnel for the newly created the Unmanned Systems Forces by the end of 2026, according to documents discovered in open sources by Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet]. The documents were likely prepared by the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff in December 2025.
According to the document, the Unmanned Systems Forces will consist of seven separate brigades, 15 regiments, 70 battalions, one battalion-level unit, 12 Rubikon detachments, 12 companies of heavy UAVs and 12 companies of ground robotic systems. Of the planned personnel, 58,000 are expected to be recruited from students, graduates of UAV operator courses, former personnel of aviation units and civilian women with relevant training. Another 10,800 troops are to be obtained by converting conscripts to contract service, while the remaining 10,000 will come from transfers of active servicemen from other units.
By the end of 2025, the MoD planned to recruit 3,500 personnel to quickly form one separate brigade in each of five military districts, as well as two additional separate brigades attached to the Rubikon center. Of these, 300 were to be drawn from active servicemen, 600 from conscripts, and another 2,600 from cadets at military training centers at universities, volunteers from BARS (Special Combat Army Reserve) units and other categories.
The MoD has also compiled data on the number of university students in technical fields who are being trained as UAV operators, as well as on enrollment plans for military training centers and additional education programs designed to train UAV operators. Military training centers have been given a target annual intake of 1,562 people—almost four times higher than the number of graduates per year. Each university on the list has been assigned a “responsible central military authority” overseeing this effort.
A recruitment campaign encouraging students to sign contracts for service in the Unmanned Systems Forces has reached at least 207 universities, colleges and technical schools across Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine, according to estimates by the Vyorstka media outlet. Earlier estimates by Vazhnyye Istorii recorded the campaign in 83 universities and 24 secondary educational institutions across 36 Russian regions and the annexed Crimea. Recruitment events are conducted by university administrators, staff from military recruitment centers, and participants in the war—including alumni who have already signed contracts. They promote what is described as a new branch of the armed forces and explain the conditions for joining, while some institutions also advertise additional benefits for recruits.
At the Baltic State Technical University Voenmekh in Saint Petersburg, students were reportedly intimidated by armed men during a meeting held in the presence of the rector and pressured to sign military contracts. Four people—two women and two men—were singled out from the audience. They were urged to sign contracts, and after they refused, they were taken to the student center and forced to withdraw their documents from the university.
It was also reported that Moscow Power Engineering Institute sent letters to students on March 4 offering them the opportunity to sign contracts with the MoD to serve in unmanned systems troops. The letters state that the contract lasts one year, after which the servicemember can leave the military. However, in a conversation with a journalist, a university employee confirmed that the service could last longer than a year.
Vyorstka published an audio recording of a meeting between students of Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies and Aleksey Skrypnikov, dean of the Faculty of Management and Informatics in Technological Systems. During a recruitment event held in February, Skrypnikov urged students to imagine their relatives being raped, referred to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as “Nazis,” and repeated other narratives of official Russian propaganda, accusing students who refused to sign contracts of cowardice.
Conscripts from several regions of Russia have begun receiving notifications about the imposition of restrictive measures for failing to respond to electronic draft notices, according to the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel. Reports have come from Kazan, Krasnodar, Chelyabinsk region and Perm. The notices list restrictions provided for under Article 7.1 of the Military Conscription and Military Service Act, including bans on leaving the country, registering as an individual entrepreneur or self-employed worker, conducting real estate and vehicle transactions and restrictions on driving. In some cases, however—such as in the Chelyabinsk region—the notice mentioned only a travel ban. Under the law, this restriction takes effect from the day a draft notice is posted in the electronic register, while additional restrictions may be imposed if the recipient fails to appear within 20 days. In one case, a check through the Gosuslugi portal showed that the restriction might not actually be enforced. Meanwhile, the case was reported by a man in the military reserve, against whom such measures cannot legally be applied.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Russia and Ukraine carried out a 200-for-200 POW exchange. According to the Ministry of Defense, the United Arab Emirates and the United States served as mediators. Russia's Foreign Ministry alsoannounced a 300-for-300 POW exchange scheduled for March 6.
The Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet investigated whether residents of poorer cities and districts die in the war at significantly higher rates than those from more affluent areas. To do so, journalists compared the average salary in each municipality of the Irkutsk region and Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic] with the share of men aged 18 to 65 killed at the frontline. The analysis confirmed a clear correlation: in the Dzhidinsky district of Buryatia, where the average salary is 48,150 rubles [$610], the share of those killed reaches 4.7%, while in Irkutsk — the municipality with the highest average salary at 96,950 rubles [$1,230]—the figure is a record low of 0.3%.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
A court in the Nizhny Novgorod region hasordered Viktor Greba, a 27-year-old former war participant, to be held in a pre-trial detention center on suspicion of murder. According to investigators, on March 2, 2026, in the village of Ankudinovka, the man stabbed an acquaintance multiple times during an argument, killing him on the spot. Based on his social media presence, Greba fought in Ukraine as part of the Wagner Group. In 2019, the former mercenary was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony for inflicting grievous bodily harm resulting in death.
In the Kaliningrad region, Aleksey Khopto, a war participant, has been arrested on charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, resulting in death by negligence. According to investigators, he assaulted his wife, who passed away from her injuries a few days later. Khopto has a history of multiple prior convictions. It is likely that Khopto enlisted in the war from a penal colony, as evidenced by photos he has published from 2023 to 2025, in which he is seen wearing a military uniform, and posing with weapons alongside his fellow soldiers.
Sergey Yanson, a mobilized soldier who was previously sentenced to four years for fraud, has had his suspended sentence replaced with a real prison sentence. The man was also stripped of his rank. According to the prosecution, Yanson received payments based on a false certificate of injury, together with fellow soldiers, whose case is being investigated separately.
The Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have reported that in the summer and fall of 2025, they detained seven residents of the Kirov region and Russia's constituent Republic of Tatarstan on charges of fraud. According to investigators, the detainees, in 2024-2025, sought out "people willing to enlist in military service" and "for a fee, offered to ensure their assignment to rear units." They also persuaded participants in the war to grant them the status of their legal representatives or enter into fictitious marriages, after which they embezzled payments. 24 participants in the war were victims of their crime, and the damage amounted to 44 million rubles [$559,700].
Alexander Beglov, Governor of Saint Petersburg, has banned the sale of petroleum products to minors, stating that this measure should reduce the risk of fuel being used for "destructive purposes." The ban will last until the end of the year. According to Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], since the beginning of the year, teenagers aged 13-16, influenced by phone scammers, have committed at least five arsons in the city, including three attacks on gas stations, as well as a police station and a car. Previously, authorities had instructed stores to report to law enforcement officers about the purchase of fuel by teenagers and the elderly. In total, since the beginning of the war, at least 98 arsons have taken place in Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region, including attacks on railway infrastructure.
A man born in 1996 was sent to a pre-trial detention center on charges of a terrorist attack. Investigators believe that, following instructions from unknown individuals through messaging apps and in exchange for money, he set fire to two cellular communication towers in Balashikha and Noginsk. The accused allegedly filmed his actions and sent the videos to his handlers, for which he received 39,000 rubles [$500].
In the city of Yekaterinburg, 19-year-old Kirill Korolyov was sent to a pre-trial detention center on charges of committing a terrorist attack. According to investigators, on March 2 the resident of the Kemerovo region, “as part of an organized group,” set fire to a car on the premises of a police station. Korolyov was detained the following day. He did not admit guilt, stating that he had acted under the influence of scammers.
A 26-year-old resident of Novosibirsk, Oleg Kochetov, is being tried on charges of committing a terrorist attack as part of an organized group and intentional destruction of property. Law enforcement officers believe that in March 2025 the man, under the influence of scammers, set fire to two cars in the city, one of which was parked next to a building of Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard].
Vladislav Belous, a 20-year-old student from Bryansk, was sentenced to 12.5 years in a penal colony on charges of sabotage. According to law enforcement officers, the man set fire to two equipment cabinets at a cellular communications tower on Jan. 13 of last year and, on Jan. 21, attempted to set fire to a locomotive before he was detained.
The Khabarovsk Regional Court sentenced a local resident to 19 years in prison on charges of treason, sabotage, training in sabotage activities and laundering money obtained through criminal means. According to prosecutors, in June 2024 the man conspired with a representative of Ukraine to set fire to a cellular communications tower in Khabarovsk and planned to carry out an arson attack on a transportation infrastructure facility. He received payment for the arson in cryptocurrency, which he later laundered. The defendant did not admit guilt.
In Saint Petersburg, a 22-year-old man was detained on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization and attempting to distribute narcotics. Law enforcement officers are also considering adding a charge of treason. According to investigators, the man “initiatively contacted” a representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion and carried out assignments for payment: he photographed enterprises of the military-industrial complex, infrastructure facilities, railway stations and research centers, and then sent the images to his handlers. Law enforcement officers say he was also offered the opportunity to carry out acts of sabotage. For transmitting the photographs, he received about $250 in cryptocurrency.
In annexed Crimea, authorities arrested a resident of the Bakhchisaray district born in 1988 on charges of treason and justifying terrorism. Investigators say the man sent a Ukrainian military intelligence officer the coordinates of boom barriers, air defense systems and ground surveillance radars located in Sevastopol Bay, as well as the locations of military equipment and personnel that were allegedly later targeted in strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The charge of justifying terrorism stems from comments he posted online about Russian soldiers and the occupation authorities in Crimea.
In the Krasnodar region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against a man born in 1958 on charges of inciting treason and aiding terrorist activity. According to the Federal Penitentiary Service, the man, while serving time in a penal colony, urged fellow inmates to surrender and join an unnamed Ukrainian terrorist organization after signing contracts with the MoD to take part in the war against Ukraine. The accusations were based on testimony from his cellmate.
The Baltic Fleet Military Court sentenced Kaliningrad region resident Aleksey Kirilenko to 15 years in a maximum security penal colony in a case involving attempted treason and attempted participation in a terrorist organization. According to investigators, Kirilenko contacted a representative of a “banned organization” fighting on Ukraine’s side, filled out an application to join, purchased gear and tried no later than June 2024 to cross the border with Poland through the Kaliningrad region in order to join the fighting. He was detained by the FSB along the way.
The Southern District Military Court has sentenced Vladislav Suryadnov, a resident of Kropotkin, to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony. He was convicted of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization and recruiting for a terrorist organization. Prosecutors said that in May 2023, Suryadnov began working with the Russian Volunteer Corps. In October of that year, he attempted to apply for a passport to travel to Ukraine to take part in combat operations with the Corps, but he was detained on Dec. 1.
The Moscow Regional Court has sentenced Vladimir Vakulov to 15 years in a maximum security penal colony on state treason charges. Information about Vakulov had previously appeared in sources connected to prisoner exchanges involving Ukrainian servicemen. The court confirmed that Vakulov holds Russian citizenship. Reports indicate that Vakulov fought with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was captured, and returned to Ukraine in March 2023 through a prisoner exchange. He was later captured again and, in September 2024, became a defendant in a treason case.
The First Western District Military Court has sentenced 25‑year‑old Mariupol resident Angelina Skiba to 13 years in a penal colony on charges of high treason and financing terrorism. Prosecutors said that while in Ukraine during 2024 and 2025, Skiba made six transfers in hryvnias to support the AFU and the Azov Brigade, totaling the equivalent of about 6,855 rubles [$87]. They also noted that her husband served in the AFU. Skiba holds both Russian and Ukrainian citizenship. She was detained on Aug. 10, 2025.
Children and Militarization
Alabuga Polytech College launched an advertising campaign featuring underage students discussing their work producing Shahed/Geran-type UAVs. The T-invariant media outlet obtained a nearly 6.5 GB archive of promotional videos in which the students openly discuss working in drone production for the first time. The students also mention their salaries in the videos: 150,000 rubles [$1,895] per month starting in their second year and 350,000 rubles [$4,422] in their third year, allegedly. The Insider [independent Russian investigative media outlet] confirmed that at least some of the teenagers do indeed study at Alabuga Polytech. According to a blogger who spoke with T-invariant, advertising agencies are offering bloggers payments ranging from 250,000 rubles [$3,200] to 1.5 million rubles [$19,000] to promote the campaign, depending on reach and subscriber count. One such promotional post was published by Rybar, a prominent pro-Russian Telegram channel/analyst.
Longreads
Sever.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet published an article about public-sector employees being pressured to donate part of their salaries to the war through questionable funds.
The media outlet also prepared a report on participants in the war against Ukraine appearing on Orthodox icons and spoke with experts about the implications for Orthodoxy.