Mobilization in Russia for March 16-18, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Russian senators plan to introduce a bill to the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] to reduce the time needed to pay insurance compensation to wounded soldiers and families of those killed during the war. Under the proposed legislation, military unit commanders would have a maximum of 15 days to verify the required documents, after which the Ministry of Defense would have another 15 days to disburse the payments. The bill's authors argue the changes would streamline the compensation processes and significantly reduce current delays, which now often exceed a month. Under existing regulations, unit commanders have 10 days from the time they receive documents from family members to complete verification and another 15 days to issue a payment order, while the MoD has 10 more days to transfer the funds. Notably, the current deadlines are measured in business days, while the proposed legislation defines them in calendar days.
In Krasnoyarsk, the local branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) [right-wing populist and ultranationalist political party] requested permission to hold a rally, but the mayor’s office denied the request, claiming that public gatherings are impermissible while the "special military operation" is underway, although no existing law provides such grounds for refusal.
The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation has endorsed a bill to increase fines for failing to notify the draft office about a relocation lasting more than three months when not locally registered from the previous range of 1,000–5,000 rubles to 10,000–20,000 rubles [from $12-$60 to $120-$240].
Meanwhile, the Duma Defense Committee has supported a bill that proposes canceling the repayment of state funds spent on education for students who drop out of military universities or are expelled if they participate in the war.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
The Sota media outlet reports that in Moscow, recruiters have resumed the practice of setting up contract military service recruitment points at metro stations. Staff members are using loudspeakers to address passengers and offering them the opportunity to enlist.
According to the Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel, detainees in Moscow who are caught drinking alcohol in public places are now being offered contracts to participate in the war. A Moscow resident told the outlet that he was stopped by police officers and taken to a station, where he was charged under the article prohibiting alcohol consumption in restricted areas. The officers then told him that he would be sent to the "special military operation." After he refused, they asked him to sign a "questionnaire" confirming that he had been informed of the social and state support measures available if he enlisted. He was also required to explicitly write that he was "not ready" to sign the contract. After completing the form, he was released.
Vyacheslav Kozhevnikov, a 62-year-old resident of Krasnouralsk, wounded two schoolchildren with a hunting rifle in November 2024 after they threw rocks into his yard and taunted his dog (which, according to local residents, was killed). He has since signed a contract with the MoD. Kozhevnikov was charged with attempted murder. Immediately after his arrest, he told investigators that he wanted to go to war without waiting for trial or sentencing.
A new regiment under the MoD, called Akhmat-Kavkaz, has been formed in Chechnya [Russia’s constituent republic]. The regiment will be led by Husein Mezhidov, who previously commanded the 249th Special Motorized Battalion Yug within Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard]. According to Adam Albakov, Chief of Staff of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, the 270th Motorized Rifle Regiment Akhmat-Kavkaz will be integrated into the division.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Five former residents of the Zvezdny orphanage in the village of Barguzin, Buryatia [Russia’s constituent republic], have been killed in the war. Previously, authorities actively encouraged orphans to sign military contracts, promising them expedited housing allocations—benefits they were already entitled to by law.
Wounded soldiers held at the 297th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in the village of Leonidovka in the Penza region contacted the Astra Telegram channel. According to them, they are being threatened with forced deployment to be "zeroed out" [killed]. Soldiers’ relatives confirm that the servicemen are being humiliated. They report that those under investigation for going AWOL are being sent to Samara for a military medical board evaluation, while the fate of those not under investigation remains unknown. The soldiers themselves describe conditions at the military unit as worse than in prison, citing food shortages and inhumane treatment. Despite being held under armed guard, two soldiers have already escaped.
Relatives of the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade soldiers, who have not heard from since being sent into a basement in the village of Ocheretyne, have recorded a video addressed to Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, and Russia’s Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov demanding to return the soldiers and provide them with medical treatment.
According to Astra, the military police are searching for the commander of the reconnaissance battalion of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, who left his duty station in the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region on March 8. Sources indicate that the individual in question is a 36-year-old major who was stationed near the village of Novoivanovka. He fled with an AK-12 assault rifle and ammunition. Astra has reported that at least one other serviceman abandoned positions near Sudzha on March 15—a private left his post near the village of Borki, taking an AK-74 assault rifle and about 120 rounds of ammunition.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
The Novosibirsk Garrison Court has sentenced serviceman Yevgeny Shunchev to nine years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of robbery causing grievous bodily harm, death threats and theft. According to the prosecution, on March 28, 2024, Shunchev broke into the apartment of his former romantic partner, assaulted her, inflicted two knife wounds and demanded that she transfer money to him.
A previously convicted veteran of the war in Ukraine, a veteran of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and officers of the Russian Aerospace Forces engaged in a brawl with gunfire at a bar in Saint Petersburg. Another veteran of the war, previously sentenced to 17 years in prison for murder, battery, sexual violence and hijacking committed in a group using violence, was arrested under the influence of narcotics and driving Mercedes without a license in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The man was not due for release until 2032 but apparently was released early after signing a contract to participate in the war in Ukraine.
According to ASTRA, on March 10, on the Debaltseve-Svitlodarsk highway, a car fatally hit 65-year-old Donetsk resident Leonid Krasnikov. The driver was reportedly 31-year-old Russian Armed Forces serviceman Sergey Ivanyushkin. Information about the serviceman's arrest, as well as any legal proceedings, is currently unavailable.
A court in Krasnodar has rejected a lawsuit filed by Dmitry Khvostov, the former deputy governor of the Vladimir region, who was convicted of accepting a 10 million ruble [$119,200] bribe. Khvostov was recruited from a penal colony to fight in the war and sought to have his criminal record expunged and obtain a "special military operation veteran" certificate. He served as a captain in the Storm-Z assault unit and returned from the war at the end of 2023, receiving a pardon by Putin’s decree. However, his criminal record was not erased.
Law enforcement officers detained a 33-year-old Ivan M. from Kirzhach, Vladimir region, at the Ivanovo-Severny military airfield in the Ivanovo region. According to the officers, he was attempting to "photograph military facilities from various angles." During searches, officers allegedly found explosives in his possession. He is now facing criminal charges for the illegal storage of explosive substances and devices.
A truck driver from the Oryol region has been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment on charges of treason and financing terrorism. Intelligence services announced his detention in July 2024, and an anonymous Telegram channel from Oryol revealed his identity. The case involves 48-year-old Ruslan Gornostayev, a resident of the town of Livny. According to the channel, he was accused of transferring approximately 100,000 rubles [$1,190] to Russians fighting for Ukraine as part of either the Freedom of Russia Legion or the Russian Volunteer Corps.
A court in the Leningrad region has begun hearing a treason case against 59-year-old design engineer Mikhail Vzvodnov. He has been in custody for nearly two years. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), he contacted an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine via messenger and provided information on the locations of defense industry facilities, air defense systems and military personnel in Rostov-on-Don. Vzvodnov was detained in Rostov on May 21, 2023 and placed in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow.
The Telegram messaging app is sharing user information with the FSB in terrorism-related investigations. This information was revealed by the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan in a ruling on a misdemeanor case, as noted by the Setevyye Svobody [Network Freedoms] Telegram channel. The case in question involved charges of inciting hatred or enmity, with authorities accusing a local resident of leaving inflammatory comments in Telegram chats. However, since account ownership could not be proven, the Supreme Court dismissed the case. Case materials state that Telegram Messenger, Inc. does not cooperate with Russian law enforcement agencies, except in cases where individuals face criminal charges under the Terrorist Act article. However, it remains unclear what specific data Telegram shares with law enforcement, particularly given that this statute is frequently applied against anti-war activists and arsonists acting under the direction of scammers.
Assistance
In Elista, the only shelter for victims of domestic violence "House of Hope" has closed its doors. Its facilities will now be used to weave camouflage nets for the frontline. Over the course of seven years, more than 100 women and children who suffered from domestic violence received help through this organization.
Government agencies in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region–Yugra have reserved 1,500 job positions for veterans of the ongoing war, announced regional Governor Ruslan Kukharuk. According to Kukharuk, 1,417 military personnel have already been employed in the region, accounting for 88% of those who sought assistance in finding work. Additionally, over 80 units of sportswear and footwear, valued at 320,000 rubles [$3,820], have been sent to the frontlines. These items were confiscated by customs.
Children and Educational System
The Ministry of Education of the Saratov region has created a deputy minister position for "patriotic affairs," which will be filled by a participant in the war with Ukraine. Similar deputy positions will also be established in district administrations.
Students from the Institute of Light Industry, Fashion and Design of the Kazan National Research Technological University have complained that they are being required to do practical training in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone. According to the Kazan-based student media outlet Groza, the students are now expected to spend three months in Alabuga, even though their training was originally supposed to last just two weeks.
Longreads
Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty online media outlet] published the stories of Russian soldiers who, after receiving the service fitness category "D" (unfit for military service), are unable to leave the army, get treatment or return home. They are also facing criminal charges for going AWOL.
The Reading the News podcast tries to analyze whether Russia is facing a shortage of soldiers.