Mobilization in Russia for May 25-27, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Authorities in the Magadan region increased the one-time regional payment to 2.6 million rubles [$32,600] for individuals who sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense. The region last raised this sum in January 2025 to 2.1 million rubles [$26,300]. Now, factoring in the federal component of 400,000 rubles [$5,010], an enlistee can receive a total of 3 million rubles [$37,600] at once.

The Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject] also increased regional payments. Authorities there raised the sign-up bonus to 2.65 million rubles [$33,200] from 2.2 million rubles established in October 2024. Including the federal component, the total can reach 3.05 million rubles, and with bonuses that some municipalities offer, it could climb to 3.2 million rubles [$40,100].

In the Altai region [Russia’s federal subject], authorities nearly doubled the sign-up bonus to enlistees, increasing it from 800,000 rubles [$10,000], set in October 2024, to 1.5 million rubles [$18,800]. Consequently, volunteers in the region can now claim a total of 1.9 million rubles [$23,800].

The Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel reports that roundups of conscripts continue in Moscow. Cases of detentions have been recorded at the Ozyornaya and Komsomolskaya metro stations. At the Tverskoy draft office, a young man was reportedly forced to undergo a medical evaluation after being summoned via a draft notice, even though he was registered with a different draft office and had a valid draft deferral. Another individual stated that after being detained in a roundup, his passport was confiscated at the draft office, and he was told it would only be returned at the military collection point.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel reminds that school students are entitled to draft deferrals both during their studies and after successfully passing the national final examinations.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

500 conscript soldiers from Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic] have beensent to the border with Ukraine, according to the volunteer organization ZOV Serdca [Calling of the heart]. The organization’s head, Nadezhda Fesenko, stated that in addition to conscripts, the 500 soldiers deployed to the Kursk region also include contract soldiers. While the original post referred to the troops as being "sent to the special military operation zone," Fesenko clarified that "they are going to the border [with Ukraine]; the person who wrote the post phrased it incorrectly."

From 2022 to 2025, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security ordered more than 1.56 million certificates for combat veterans and 307,900 certificates for family members of deceased military personnel, according to a calculation by the Vyorstka media outlet based on data from the government procurement contracts portal. The agency made its largest purchase in 2023 when it ordered over 800,000 IDs for veterans and over 250,000 IDs for family members of deceased service members. The pace slowed markedly in 2024, when the department purchased 304,000 IDs for veterans and approximately 8,000 for family members of deceased service members. In 2025, the ministry ordered 317,500 combat veteran IDs and 40,252 IDs for family members of the deceased.

Soldiers of the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade and their relatives recorded videos complaining about their commanders. According to the recordings, wounded military personnel are kept in the basement without treatment and are sent to storm enemy positions. This includes soldiers who are moving with the help of canes and crutches. They are threatened with reprisals if they refuse to participate in the assault.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In the Murmansk region, a traffic accident involving soldiers under the influence of alcohol has been reported. On May 25, a car was observed accelerating, colliding with a stone curb and rolling over on the territory of a military unit in the Olenegorsk-2 town. As a result, the driver, 27-year-old Kirill Mikhailov, died at the scene, while his passenger, 28-year-old Maksim Yelchaninov, sustained injuries. Both were in a state of intoxication.

On Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine, the Donetsk Garrison Military Court has sentenced Andrey F., a serviceman from the Shturmovoy [Assault] unit to two years in a maximum security penal colony for failing to execute orders. The sentence was issued taking into consideration the soldier's unexpunged criminal record for a serious crime. The man signed a contract in 2023. In the summer of 2024, he refused to carry out a combat order. The serviceman did not deny his guilt and insisted on a swift transfer of the case to court, due to the harsh conditions in which refuseniks were kept in the "DPR." The convicted individual did not appeal the sentence, instead claiming to be "satisfied with the outcome of the trial and its consequences."

The Vladimir Garrison Military Court sentenced private Viktor Chemodanov to four years of probation for charges of going AWOL and assaulting a police officer. According to the verdict, Chemodanov did not report to his military unit and drove home. While intoxicated, he lost control of the vehicle and veered into a ditch. When a police officer attempted to file a protocol for driving under the influence, Chemodanov assaulted him, striking him in the face with his fist. In issuing the sentence, the court considered the man's willingness to go to war as a mitigating factor.

The same court sentenced mobilized Sergeant Dmitry Lovushkin to six months of probation for the illicit drug acquisition and possession in the military unit. The court recognized his participation in the war as a mitigating factor.

In Magnitogorsk, a military court sentenced Sergey Sokolov, a citizen of Kazakhstan, to six years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of desertion and attempt to illegally cross the border. According to the prosecution, he signed a contract with the MoD in September 2024, received money for it, bought a motorcycle, and drove to the area bordering Kazakhstan in the Chelyabinsk region. On Oct. 15, he was detained by officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) border department as he attempted to cross the border.

According to the Baza Telegram channel, associated with Russian law enforcement, a sabotage incident occurred on May 25 in the Belgorod region on the line between the Kholki and Novy Oskol stations.They blew up a contact pole in front of a freight train, causing the train to emergency brake, and the last carriage was damaged. Upon arrival, bomb technicians reportedly found six additional explosives and two signaling devices planted on the tracks. The bombs were defused, and train traffic resumed.

The volunteer headquarters of the "We Are Together" national project reported that in the city of Podporozhye in the Leningrad region, on the evening of May 24, a warehouse containing humanitarian aid for Russian soldiers was set on fire. The fire destroyed equipment and medicines collected for the soldiers on the frontline, as well as children's items intended for the Kursk region. The Investigative Committee detained a 40-year-old local resident and opened a criminal case against him for an act of terror.

In Saint Petersburg, a 17-year-old teenager was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a sign at a train depot at the Saint Petersburg-Sortirovochny-Moskovsky station. According to investigators, he received instructions from "an unidentified source" via a messenger app. During his arrest, he said that he was forced to commit the arson by "Federal Migration Service employee Mikhail Aleksandrovich." The young man was arrested and charged with committing a terrorist attack.

According to the independent Russian media outlet Mediazona, Andrey Fogel, a 65-year-old opposition figure from Nizhny Tagil, is on trial for attempting to create a terrorist organization and is accused of planning to set fire to the car of Irina Artamonova, the human resources director at Uralvagonzavod, the Russian state-owned machine-building company. According to witness testimony, Fogel discussed with them an "intimidation campaign" targeting the company's top executives. The defense maintains that Fogel was the victim of a law enforcement’s provocation.

A military court in Saint Petersburg has sentenced Vladimir Skvortsov, a 43-year-old postal service employee from Vologda, to 12 years in prison on charges of financing extremist activity and participating in a terrorist organization. According to prosecutors, after Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and Navalny's headquarters were declared extremist in 2021, Skvortsov made four donations to Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation totaling 1,100 rubles ($14). In the summer of 2024, Skvortsov allegedly received instructions to post at least 20 flyers supporting the Freedom of Russia Legion and opposing the current Russian government from Dmitry Voronov who claimed to represent the unit. Skvortsov managed to post 26 flyers at various locations around Vologda. He was detained before he could post 14 more and send photos to his contact.

Assistance

In Saint Petersburg, war veteran Aleksandr Rozhkov, who participated in the city’s "Time of Heroes" personnel program, has been appointed deputy head of the Krasnogvardeysky District administration. He will be responsible for sports, culture, youth policy, and the administration’s general affairs, while continuing his training through the program.

Children

Russia’s first textbook on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been added to the official list of educational materials for 8th and 9th grade students. According to the publishers, the textbook was developed to encourage young people to explore careers in drone operation and management.

In the town of Luga, in the Leningrad region, a ceremonial medal presentation was held at a local kindergarten for children who took part in the May 9 Victory Parade. The children, dressed in military uniforms, marched through the courtyard. The medals were presented by a veteran involved in the war in Ukraine. The kindergarten’s social media posts noted the event was held in dedication to the school’s Last Bell ceremony.

Miscellaneous

The Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet reported that during a prisoner exchange on May 23, Russia transferred approximately 100 Ukrainians to Ukraine who were awaiting deportation in immigration centers. Among them were former Ukrainian convicts sent to Russian penal colonies. This information was confirmed in a conversation with the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet by Mikhail Savva, an expert from the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties NGO. Mediazona spoke with two ex-convicts who participated in the exchange.

Longreads

Novaya Gazeta [independent Russian newspaper] presented a film featuring participants of the war in Ukraine, who shared their experiences and thoughts on current events. They also discussed whether they support peace negotiations and how they are treated upon their return.

Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] detailed how Russian soldiers involved in the war in Ukraine face systematic cases of extortion, fraud and theft from their commanders, officials, and fraudsters.

The Kavkaz.Realii [Caucasus.Realities, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] media outlet released a piece on how the distribution of land plots in the North Caucasus among war participants is leading to interethnic tension.

Vyorstka tells the story of conscript Ilya Kurbatov, who died in a unit on the border with Ukraine. His parents are convinced their son was killed, but the commanders and investigators show no interest in this claim.