Mobilization in Russia for May 13-15, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Grebenyuk and Partners law firm published the text of amendments to Putin's decree No. 580 of Aug. 3, 2023, which lists grounds for dismissal from service. The document specifies that mobilized service members have the guaranteed right to be dismissed for reasons beyond those stated in the "partial mobilization" decree if they are the primary financial supporters of minor children without the mother. Alternatively, they can apply for a discharge if, due to health reasons, a military medical board assigns them service fitness category "V" (partially fit for military service), although the military command makes the final determination in this case. Like the original decree, authorities have not formally published these amendments, classifying them "for official use only."
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
Two residents of the Ishimbaysky district in Russia's constituent republic of Bashkortostan who damaged a public toilet in a culture park left for war. Azat Ishemgulov, the head of the district, reported that the men decided to "voluntarily sign a contract to participate in the special military operation" after police spoke with them.
MinTsifry [Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia] has initiated the annual procedure for confirming the accreditation of IT companies. Companies without accreditation will not be able to exempt their employees from statutory military service. Organizations' applications will be reviewed by July 1, and MinTsifry will send the final decision by July 21. If accreditation is not confirmed, employees will not be eligible for draft exemption during the regular conscription campaign in fall 2025. MinTsifry has previously tightened the requirements for confirming accreditation.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
A serviceman from the 110th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Khodzhageldy Chopanov, has been reported for intoxicating and raping a minor in Russian-occupied Donetsk. According to the Astra Telegram channel, on the evening of May 8, a car approached a 17-year-old girl on the street. The man behind the wheel introduced himself as a police officer and demanded that she accompany him to sign some documents. Instead of taking her to a police station, he took her to an apartment, where he mixed something in her drink and then raped her. There is no information on the serviceman's detention.
On the evening of May 14 in Pitkyaranta, a town in Karelia [Russia’s constituent republic], 32-year-old serviceman Sergey Markov shot a 36-year-old local man in the chest following an argument outside a bar. The victim died on the spot from the gunshot wound. During a police pursuit, Markov fired at officers with a pistol before barricading himself in his garage, which was later stormed by SOBR [special police] and OMON [riot police]. Inside the garage, authorities found an arsenal of firearms, rifles, grenades and knives, some of which dated back to World War II.
Local media outlets learned that Markov was an active contacted serviceman. Residents of Pitkyaranta have claimed that the shooter had recently returned from the war. Friends of Markov revealed that he had a prior theft conviction and described him as someone prone to conflict. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges of murder and illegal possession of firearms. Reports indicate that the case materials have been forwarded to the Military Prosecutor's Office. Markov has pleaded guilty to the crime.
According to Astra, a 30-year-old Moscow resident contacted police on May 12, reporting that her husband, who had recently returned from war, had assaulted her and their four-year-old daughter. She later retracted her claim. At the time of the incident, the 26-year-old man was sober, but the woman stated that he has experienced frequent bouts of aggression since returning from Ukraine. He left the home before police arrived and has not been detained. The soldier was demobilized due to combat injuries, including the loss of a leg, a concussion, and shrapnel wounds.
Khamidulla Mukhamedyayev, a soldier from the village of Novkus-Artezian in the Stavropol region, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for four counts of desertion and one robbery. He enlisted on March 23, 2024, from a penal colony where he was serving time for his ninth conviction—also for robbery. His first escape occurred just three weeks later, on April 17. He returned to his unit on May 15 but fled again a week later. Mukhamedyayev remained absent from his duty station for over two months. On the evening of June 14, he committed a robbery, stealing a basic mobile phone and 1,000 rubles [$12] from a victim. He returned to his unit in early August but escaped again after just two days, remaining at large for three weeks. He deserted once more in September and was finally apprehended by police in November. Mukhamedyayev has a long history of prior convictions.
The Borzya Garrison Court has sentenced serviceman Vlad Sutemyev to five years and one month in a penal colony on charges of going AWOL. Sutemyev did not return to duty on Oct. 16, 2024, as he "wanted to take a break from his duties and spend time with his family." He returned to the unit in January 2025.
In Bashkortostan, a traffic accident occurred involving a truck transporting captured military equipment from an exhibition in Ufa. The accident took place on the M-5 highway near the village of Iskra. A KIA car collided with a KAMAZ truck towing a trailer, causing the truck to veer into a ditch and overturn on its side. Two people were injured.
In Mari El [Russia's constituent republic], law enforcement officers detained four minors who allegedly joined a "terrorist organization banned in Russia." According to investigators, acting on instructions from handlers in Ukraine, the teenagers set fire to a car with "patriotic symbols" in the village of Ryabinka, for which they received 32,000 rubles [$400]. The damage caused by their actions exceeded half a million rubles. A criminal case has been initiated; two teenagers have been taken into custody, while the other two are under house arrest.
The military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Oleg Zavgorodnyi to 24 years in prison and Fyodor Trifonov to 17 years for an attempted bombing of a Russian military convoy. Zavgorodnyi, 32, was found guilty of participating in a terrorist organization, preparing an act of terror, illegally manufacturing and trafficking explosives, and undergoing training for terrorist activities. The 46-year-old Trifonov was convicted of the same charges, except for receiving terrorist training. According to investigators, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zavgorodnyi joined an unnamed "terrorist organization" and later recruited Trifonov. In November 2022, the men allegedly manufactured an improvised explosive device and planted it along a road in the Zaporizhzhia region, aiming to attack a Russian Armed Forces convoy. However, law enforcement officers detained the suspects before the device could explode. The case against the men was opened on Jan. 18, 2023, when Zavgorodnyi and Trifonov were arrested. Their whereabouts between their detention in the Zaporizhzhia region in 2022 and the case’s initiation remain unknown.
A military court has sentenced Oksana Shevchenko, a 45-year-old native of the Zaporizhzhia region, to ten years in a penal colony for preparing an act of terror against Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea. The woman was convicted of preparing an act of terror and illegal possession of explosives. According to prosecutors, Shevchenko and "other individuals opposed to the special military operation" concealed an explosive device in a vehicle before entering Crimea in May 2023. From Jan. 22 to Feb. 2, 2024, Shevchenko and an unidentified individual monitored locations where Aksyonov lived and frequented. Shevchenko and two other suspects in the assassination plot, Vladimir Ananyev and Vladimir Bondar, were detained in February 2024. The criminal cases against Bondar and Ananyev are being tried separately.
A military court has ordered compulsory treatment for 34-year-old Yevgeny Grigoriev from Ivanovka village in the Amur region in a case related to an attempted high treason, attempted participation in a terrorist organization and aiding terrorist activities. Grigoriev is currently being held in a psychiatric hospital in the Amur region. He was detained in September 2024 and added to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation (Rosfinmonitoring) list as an "extremist and terrorist" in December. The specific allegations against him remain unclear. Court records show that Grigoriev had previous convictions for theft and driving under the influence.
A court sentenced 50-year-old Samara resident Aleksandr Mirkulov to 10 years in a penal colony on charges of attempted high treason and preparation for participation in a terrorist organization. Mirkulov was detained a year ago at the border with Kazakhstan. According to his ex-wife, Natalia, he had planned to earn some extra money by delivering cars across the border. Investigators, however, claimed that he intended to join a Ukrainian "military association" and had agreed on a date to cross the border with them. In court, when Mirkulov was being arrested, Natalia noted signs of a beating: he was limping, holding his ribs, and had a broken nose. According to her, he was charged based on his correspondence with a representative of the "Freedom of Russia Legion" and his attempt to join the organization.
Yury Gupenko, a Saint Petersburg resident, has been remanded to pre-trial detention on charges of participating in a terrorist organization. According to law enforcement officers, Gupenko allegedly began correspondence with an unidentified member of the Russian Volunteer Corps no later than Jan. 17 of this year, expressing intent to join the organization and assist in carrying out terrorist acts. From Jan. 17 until April 2025, he purportedly gathered information on a military recruitment center with the aim of using it to organize sabotage and terrorist acts.
The Western District Military Court sentenced 27-year-old Sergey Veselov from the Moscow suburb of Elektrostal to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony for charges related to military misinformation, participation in a terrorist organization, and politically motivated vandalism. Veselov's case stemmed from markings made in February 2024 at a bus stop stating, "The Russian Armed Forces has suffered approximately 500,000 deaths," which investigators allege he made under instructions from the Freedom of Russia Legion. Veselov pleaded guilty to the charge with participation in a terrorist organization. His lawyer stated that he communicated with his handlers for no more than three weeks and ceased tasks after making the markings.
Children
Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyev announced the launch of a show for children. It will be produced by SolovyovKids studio. The propagandist called it "an ambitious step into a future where political awareness starts in diapers." According to him, the Sandbox project will be "a master class on the current agenda in a format understandable to children." Solovyov envisions that children "will be able to discuss geopolitics as easily as fights over a scoop in the sandbox."
Longreads
The Govorit NeMoskva [NonMoscow Is Speaking] Telegram channel reports about the case of Staff Sergeant Badma Mandzhiev, who was shot dead by his commander. According to the official version, Mandzhiev attacked the officer, and the lieutenant shot back, allegedly in defense. The only witness whose testimony diverged from the official version was quickly dismissed from the Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] and his contract was terminated.