Mobilization in Russia for March 6-9, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Law enforcement officers in Saratov conducted a raid, checked the IDs of 70 individuals, and handed draft notices to 20 men who had obtained Russian citizenship but failed to register for military service. A similar operation took place in Samara, where law enforcement officers reportedly identified 10 citizens who had not registered for military service, transported them to the draft office, and charged each of them with a misdemeanor.

Vladimir Druz, who led the civic organization "For the Citizens" and defended the rights of swindled homebuyers, has applied at the local draft office to serve in the war. In July 2024, authorities arrested him on commercial bribery charges. Prosecutors claim he collected more than two million rubles [$22,500] from construction companies in return for refusing to sue them and discouraging others from doing so. Druz explained that courts would not hand down a lenient sentence without an admission of guilt, and he refused to confess to the allegations.

Dmitry Lobanov, the former head of the Engels District in Russia’s Saratov region, who had been sentenced to eight years in a penal colony for accepting an especially large bribe, signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and joined a military unit. He had fewer than 10 months left until release.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

The death of another conscript soldier in the war against Ukraine has been reported. 19-year-old Sergey Glazkov was conscripted in the summer of 2024 and was killed on Feb. 24, 2025. The circumstances of his death have not been specified, but a family friend has reported that Glazkov had been serving in a military unit near the border with Ukraine. According to calculations by the Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet, Glazkov is at least the 32nd conscript to be killed during the full-scale invasion, although this number may be higher.

The mother of Dmitry K., a 21-year-old contract soldier from the Kemerovo region, has reported that her son was forced to transfer his salary to his commander. The commander claimed to have secured a salary increase for the soldier but requested 80,000 rubles [$900] per month in return. Initially, Dmitry agreed, but later filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office after facing humiliation and physical abuse from his command. However, Dmitry himself ended up being accused of fraud and charged with illegally obtaining part of the salary that the commander had allegedly "increased." The officer, meanwhile, was not held accountable.

According to the mother of one of the servicemen who previously refused to fight and staged a "riot" in a tent camp in the city of Yekaterinburg, later being escorted to the "special military operation zone," most of the "refuseniks" have now been distributed across various military units. Out of 150 people, only 10–15 remain in the town of Sychyovka, including wounded and shell-shocked soldiers, some on crutches and with Ilizarov apparatuses [external fixation device used for deformity correction]. The woman's son lost vision in one eye after a concussion, but he is still being held in the camp.

The Vot Tak media outlet, citing relatives of conscript soldiers from the Chebarkul garrison, reports that the MoD still has not annulled the contracts of draftees that the prosecutor’s office deemed illegal. Despite the oversight agency’s decision, most soldiers remain in their units and at training ranges, from where they could be sent to the frontline at any moment, while the documents they allegedly signed have yet to be revoked. Only one known case has been reported where a conscript from Chebarkul managed to have an illegally signed contract annulled.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Southern District Military Court sentenced Senior Lieutenant Aydyn Zhamidulov to 18 years in a penal colony and his subordinate, Private Aleksey Dorozhkin, to 12 years in a penal colony for the murder of 23-year-old Valentina Davronova, a resident of the annexed city of Luhansk. Both were found guilty of murder committed in a group. Earlier, a third defendant, Roman Pleshcheyev, was given a suspended sentence for inflicting moderate bodily harm, as an expert examination determined that his stab wounds could not have caused the woman’s death. The victim’s mother told the BBC she thought the sentence was unfairly lenient. Details of the crime were covered in a previous summary.

The Southern District Military Court has sentenced mobilized soldier Roman Arkhangelsky to 15 years of imprisonment for the murder of two fellow soldiers on Feb. 7, 2023. The mobilized soldier attempted to pass off the murder as an attack by saboteurs but was detained. The victims' side wanted to appeal the sentence as too lenient, but the court upheld the sentence without changes. The court considered Arkhangelsky's expressed willingness to continue participating in combat operations as a mitigating factor.

Residents of an apartment building in Saint Petersburg complained about a Russian serviceman throwing grenades from his balcony. According to them, the man "keeps the whole yard in fear" and, on Feb. 26, left a note threatening physical violence against a car owner who had parked near his vehicle. He also threatened to "send another car owner to the "special military operation." Neighbors filed a collective police report about the threats, but officials did not respond. On the night of March 5, the serviceman began throwing grenades from his balcony, damaging a car. Neighbors called the police several times but were unable to get law enforcement to arrive. According to the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet, the serviceman’s name is Rafkat Abdullin, and he served in the 136th Motorized Rifle Brigade. The Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel reported that he moved to Saint Petersburg from Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan. To earn money, Abdullin signed a contract and was deployed to the war in Ukraine, but within a month, he was wounded and returned home. After that, he demanded that the MoD compensate him for losing his leg, which he said was caused by the explosion of an inferior Chinese projectile.

In the Moscow region, a serviceman assaulted a schoolboy who had made fun of his daughter. On March 5, the father of a 7th-grade student arrived at school in Shchyolkovo after his daughter complained about a classmate. According to the victim, the serviceman hit him several times and tore his clothes. Following the incident, doctors recorded bruises and a concussion.

In Orsk, an armed war participant stormed the entrance of a residential building. According to the residents, the serviceman often visits their neighbor. On March 7, he entered the building armed, pretending to seize a military facility. Residents say this was not the first time he had acted this way. Complaints were regularly filed with the police, but he would be released each time due to his participation in the war.

In Kazan, a car registered to the Tatarstan draft office was set on fire. According to the SHOT Telegram channel, the vehicle belonged to Ilshat Karimov, the head of one of the draft office departments in Tatarstan.

In Moscow, the doors of the Federal Security Service (FSB) building on Lubyanka were set on fire. A video of the arson, which took place on the evening of March 6, was published by the Russian Volunteer Corps, claiming it was carried out by "unknown heroes." The next day, the Baza Telegram channel reported the arrest of a suspect—17-year-old Nikita P., a student at the Moscow State Institute for Tourism Industry. According to the channel, during interrogation, he claimed he was tricked by scammers who convinced him he was participating in "intelligence service training exercises." A criminal case for vandalism has been opened against him, and he has been released on recognizance.

Fontanka [pro-Russian media outlet of the Leningrad region] reported that on March 9, teenagers set fire to railway tracks near a relay cabinet near Myaglovo, Leningrad region.

A criminal case has been opened against 29-year-old Aleksey Bredikhin, a resident of Unecha in the Bryansk region, over his correspondence with the Freedom of Russia Legion. He has been charged with aiding terrorism, organizing a terrorist group, and illegally acquiring and distributing explosives. According to investigators, a member of the Freedom of Russia Legion instructed Bredikhin to retrieve an explosive device from a stash and hand it over to "other individuals to carry out a terrorist attack in the region." Bredikhin was detained in April 2024 and has remained in custody since.

On March 4, law enforcement officers in Moscow detained 21-year-old Polina Kostikova, a first-year student at the State University of Education, on charges of participating in a terrorist organization. According to investigators, while in Turkey in 2022, Kostikova joined the Azov Brigade and adopted the call sign Eva. She later began assisting the Russian Volunteer Corps with recruitment and fundraising. To further these efforts, in August 2023, she moved from Turkey to Georgia, where she stayed in a hostel with others seeking to join the Russian Volunteer Corps. In June 2024, she returned to Russia, where, according to investigators, she continued recruiting for the Russian Volunteer Corps online.

In the Vladimir region, a child has been arrested for allegedly "falling for scammers' tricks" and "transmitting photos and videos of strategic sites." This information was disclosed by Yulia Rasnyanskaya, the Children’s Rights Commissioner for the Vladimir region, after visiting the local SIZO-3 detention center. Rasnyanskaya did not provide further details about the case, including the child's name or age.

A 49-year-old resident of Voronezh, Sergey Yakovlev, arrested in July 2024, claimed he planned to blow up a train transporting missile components at the request of Vyacheslav Maltsev, the head of the Artpodgotovka [Softening Up the Enemy] organization. According to Yakovlev, he agreed to carry out the terrorist attack because of his anti-war stance. He was later detained along with his wife, and their two minor children were taken in by relatives. Yakovlev faces charges of plotting a terrorist attack, as well as illegal production and possession of explosives. His wife, 39-year-old Anna Radionova, is accused by investigators of providing the vehicle and purchasing the SIM card for the attack. She is also being held in pre-trial detention.

A 21-year-old student, Vladislav Afimin, was arrested in Moscow on charges of treason. The exact charges against him are unknown, as treason cases are handled behind closed doors. Afimin was initially detained in January on charges of petty hooliganism, for which he was sentenced to 10 days in administrative detention. He was later arrested two more times under the same misdemeanorcharge, and in March, he was subsequently charged with treason. Last year, Afimin completed his statutory military service.

Two Ukrainian servicemen captured in the Kursk region, Nikolay Milinevich and Sergey Perevoznikov, have been sentenced to 16 years in prison. They were found guilty under charges of committing a terrorist attack. The soldiers were taken prisoner on Sept. 3, 2024. Earlier, a Russian court sentenced two other Ukrainian soldiers captured in the Kursk region to 14 and 15 years in prison. In recent days, four more Ukrainian servicemen and a British citizen who fought with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region were also convicted.

Assistance

In the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra, 77 participants of invasion will undergo training as part of the first wave of the Heroes of Yugra personnel program, according to regional governor Ruslan Kukharuk.

Meanwhile, psychiatric hospitals in Moscow have introduced special announcements addressing participants of the war in Ukraine. The posters encourage them to undergo medical evaluations and remain in close contact with doctors.

Children and Educational System

In Tatarstan, 370 children of soldiers who fought in Ukraine were admitted to universities in 2024under a special quota for state-funded places, according to a report by the republic’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Sariya Saburskaya.

In the Omsk region, the regional Ministry of Education is seeking a supplier of mock-ups of the AK-74 assault rifle for local schools. They need to deliver 150 mock-ups to educational institutions, with the initial contract price set at 4.3 million rubles [$48,300].

Miscellaneous

On the territory of the former concentration camp for prisoners of war "Stalag 372" a park of Heroes of Russiawill be created, said the governor of the Pskov region Mikhail Vedernikov at a meeting with wives and widows of participants in the invasion of Ukraine. "Stalag 372" operated in Pskov from 1941 to 1944, during the occupation of the city by Nazi Germany. During that time, 75,000 prisoners of war and civilians were killed in the camp, recalls Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet].

Longreads

Novaya Gazeta [independent Russian newspaper] writes about mobilized soldiers from the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) who, three years later, are still trying to resign from the Russian army.

The Sibirsky Express media outlet writes about regional authorities spending millions of rubles to supply schools with mock-up weapons.