Mobilization in Russia for May 21-24, 2026 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment

Authorities in the Sverdlovsk region have reduced the sign-up bonus for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense by 200,000 rubles [$2,810]. Beginning on May 23, new recruits will receive 2.5 million rubles [$35,100] instead of the 2.7 million rubles [$37,900] established at the start of the year. Including the federal payment of 400,000 rubles [$5,610], contract soldiers in the Sverdlovsk region will now be eligible to receive a total of 2.9 million rubles [$40,700].

Former Vladimir mayor Dmitry Naumov, who was previously sentenced to eight years in a maximum security penal colony in a bribery case, has signed a contract with the MoD and gone to war, according to Vladimir region Governor Aleksandr Avdeyev. According to investigators, Naumov accepted 1.1 million rubles [$15,400] in exchange for appointing two individuals to senior positions at municipal funeral-service enterprises and subsequently restricting competition in the sector in their favor. Naumov had previously pleaded guilty and, during the trial, expressed a desire to go to the frontline.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Based on open sources, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] and BBC News Russian, together with volunteers, have verified the names of 221,206 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine, including 18,813 mobilized soldiers. Over the past week, the list has grown by 1,850 names.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Krasnodar, Gennady Sergeyev, a former Wagner Group mercenary, along with three other convicts, has been charged in connection with the death of a 47-year-old programmer. The incident occurred in January 2025 in a pre-trial detention center. Sergeyev was sentenced to nine and a half years in a penal colony, while another defendant received 10 years for intentionally causing grievous bodily harm that resulted in death. Cases involving two other defendants have been separated into individual proceedings. However, the prosecution of one of them was discontinued after he signed a contract with the MoD. According to the court, the victim was subjected to a severe beating that lasted nearly an hour, resulting in at least 61 injuries, including fractured ribs, a ruptured liver and damage to internal organs. After the beating, the cellmates attempted to conceal traces of blood and agree on a false account of the events.

In Saint Petersburg, on the evening of May 23, a 27-year-old man who had returned from the war attacked his former girlfriend, stabbing her at least five times, dousing her with nitric acid and firing a flare gun at her. The 26-year-old victim was hospitalized in serious condition with burns covering 37% of her body. The attacker was detained and charged with attempted murder. After returning from the war, the man had allegedly stalked the woman for a year, attempting to force a reconciliation and threatening her. Her complaints to police produced no results. On the evening of the attack, the man tracked his former girlfriend to her rented apartment and forced his way inside as she was preparing to leave for work. He reportedly said he acted because he believed she had been unfaithful to him.

In the Novosibirsk region, authorities detained a 16-year-old from Ryazan suspected of setting fire to police service vehicles in the settlement of Krasnoobsk. According to the Interior Ministry, the teenager acted “under instructions from outside handlers.” Officers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations extinguished the fire, and no one was injured. Authorities are considering opening a criminal case.

In Novorossiysk, a 22-year-old resident of Krasnodar region was detained on charges of preparing an attack of terror, illegal possession of explosives and treason. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), the man had been instructed by an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine via WhatsApp to blow up an energy infrastructure facility and was detained on his way to retrieve a 2.5-kilogram explosive device from a cache. Law enforcement officials said the suspect pleaded guilty and told investigators he had carried out the assignment in exchange for payment.

The Second Western District Military Court sentenced Polina Kostikova, 22, a first-year student at the Moscow State University of Education, to five years in a penal colony on charges of preparing to join a terrorist organization. According to investigators, in 2024, while in Georgia, she contacted a representative of the Russian Volunteer Corps and planned to join the organization to fight against the Russian army. Investigators also alleged that after returning to Russia, Kostikova helped recruit new members online. After her detention in March 2025, she was placed under house arrest, from which she escaped, but was detained again and ordered held in custody.

Longreads

The Govorit NeMoskva [NonMoscow Is Speaking]Telegram channel published the story of deserter Artyom Vovchenko, who fled the frontline twice after signing a military contract.

The Bumaga [Paper] independent media outlet and military lawyer Artyom Klyga report on how Russians are lured into military service under the guise of civilian job listings.

Sibir.Realii, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported on cases of wounded servicemembers being sent back to the front before completing treatment.