Mobilization in Russia for Nov. 18-19, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Vladimir Putin has approved an updated version of Russia's nuclear doctrine, which now permits nuclear strikes in the event of “aggression by any non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear-armed state,” as well as in response to massive aerial attacks using non-nuclear weapons, including drones. Additionally, Russia reserves the right to respond similarly if Belarus faces a threat. Meduza [international Russian-language online media outlet] reviewed both the updated doctrine alongside the previous version adopted in June 2020, compiling both into a comparative table for clarity.

In its consecutive second and third readings, the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] has adopted a bill forgiving debts of up to 10 million rubles [$100,100] for participants in the war against Ukraine. Authored by Senator Andrey Klishas, the bill applies to mobilized soldiers, conscripts and contract soldiers who enlist for terms exceeding one year after the law takes effect on Dec. 1, 2024, as well as to their spouses. To qualify, the debt must have been incurred before the participant signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, and either an enforcement proceeding must already be underway or a court must have ruled on the debt collection. The amendments also exempt participants from the enforcement fee, which is set at 7% of the debt, and extend payment holidays from 30 to 180 days after the end of military service. Applications for payment holidays must be submitted no later than Dec. 31, 2024.

Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova has announced that Russian mercenaries will be able to confirm their status as "veterans of the special military operation" on the basis of eyewitness accounts. She noted that the authorities have already developed and approved a corresponding witness statement form, which confirms the participation of "private military company operatives in the special military operation." In January 2024, Vladimir Putin had instructed the government to introduce a bill to grant combat veteran status to individuals taking part in the invasion without a formal contract with the MoD.

The MoD has drafted an order regarding one-time compensations for injuries, wounds and concussions sustained during combat. If adopted in its current form, the reduced payouts will not apply to servicemen injured before Nov. 12, 2024. Previously, the government approved a resolution establishing new payment amounts for servicemen injured in action, introducing a differentiated scale based on injury severity.

In the Tula region, fines of up to 150,000 rubles [$1,500] have been introduced for spreading information about drone attacks, according to regional head Dmitry Milyaev. The fines will apply to those disseminating details about the location of military personnel, critical infrastructure sites, air defense operations and drone attacks. Exceptions will be made for official information published by government authorities. Similar bans and fine systems have already been implemented in several other regions of Russia.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

The government of the Saratov region has extended the contract sign-up bonus to mobilized soldiers. A sign-up bonus of 500,000 rubles [$5,010] is now available for draftees who signed a military service contract with Russia's MoD between Aug. 1 and Oct. 6, 2024.

In the Kumyonsky district of the Kirov region, an additional sign-up bonus of 300,000 rubles [$3,000] will be introduced starting Nov. 18 for those signing a military contract with the MoD. This amount will be paid in addition to the national bonus of 400,000 rubles [$4,000] and the regional bonus of the same amount. Altogether, the total payments for signing a contract will amount to 1.1 million rubles [$11,000].

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) for the Novosibirsk region reported that 59 migrants who signed contracts with the MoD have been sent to participate in the "special military operation." As of Nov. 15, reports indicate that a total of 1,386 local residents registered in various databases have signed military contracts after undergoing "preventive conversations" with MVD officials.

Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta] has investigated how such "preventive conversations" are conducted in the Moscow region. One debtor recorded his interaction with Colonel Andrey Tagayev, head of the Federal Bailiff Service for the Moscow region, who personally recruits debtors for the war. The debtor shared the audio recording with journalists.

Konstantin Pikalov, the former head of the Lenin district administration in the Rostov region, who was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for abuse of power and fraud, is heading to the front. The court has released him from serving his sentence. Similarly, Sergey Murai, the former prosecutor from the Industrial district of Perm, who had been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony and fined 10 million rubles [$100,100] for bribery, has been sent to the frontline from a pre-trial detention center.

It has also come to light that Vasily Starkov, the former Minister of Transport for the Sverdlovsk region, who announced his departure to the frontline in November 2023 after facing corruption charges, is now serving in a military unit in Yekaterinburg. This was revealed during a court hearing for his bribery case, where the commander of his unit requested that proceedings against Starkov be suspended to allow him to continue his service. Starkov had been detained in July 2024 after allegedly spending two months on the frontline in a logistical support role, according to his lawyer. Additionally, Alexey Korobeynikov, a regional legislator for the Sverdlovsk legislative assembly, is listed as serving in the same unit and has also claimed to have gone to the frontline.

A 24-year-old resident of Tyumen, Nikolay, has reported that a doctor of a regional draft office revoked the diagnosis that had previously rendered him unfit for conscription. In December 2023, the young man was expelled from the university, and in July 2024, he went to the draft office, where he was found fit for limited military service, which exempts him from conscription. However, in October, Nikolay was summoned to the draft office again, where a doctor stated that there were no signs of the diagnosis upon visual inspection. Later, according to the family, a stamp appeared in Nikolay's personal file assigning him a new service fitness category with a signature of a female doctor, despite the fact that the examination was conducted by a male doctor.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The IStories [independent Russian investigative media outlet] has obtained internal MoD documents revealing that over 1,000 soldiers have deserted only from the 20th Motorized Rifle Division fighting in Ukraine. Of these, 858 were contract soldiers and 150 were mobilized soldiers. The list of deserters also included two conscripts, 26 junior officers, one major and two lieutenant colonels. Journalists managed to verify the data and contact four deserters who confirmed they had indeed fled the army. The documents also indicate that in the first month of the full-scale invasion, one in six servicemen of the division's 255th Motorized Rifle Regiment refused to engage in combat.

Mobilized men from the Saratov region have reported that they have not received the 450,000 ruble [$4,510] sign-up bonus due upon enlisting for contract military service. Official documents state that the regional sign-up bonus applies only to mobilized soldiers who signed the contract on or after Oct. 7, 2024. Those who signed the contract prior to this date are only eligible for a bonus of 50,000 rubles [$500].

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Russian news outlet vn.ru reported the capture of another deserter who fled a military unit in Kochenyovo, Novosibirsk region, on Nov. 12. According to the outlet's sources in the local garrison, the deserter was turned in by a friend with whom he had sought shelter for the night. Meanwhile, the search for other escapees continues. According to the NGS media outlet, one serviceman remains at large, despite authorities declaring two days after the escape that all deserters had been apprehended.

Vazhnyye Istorii calculated that since the beginning of the war, at least 11,700 cases of going AWOL have been filed in garrison military courts. The number of cases began to surge in March 2023, peaking in July 2024 with nearly 1,000 cases per month. The Orenburg and Volgograd Garrison Military courts reported the highest number of such cases, with over 400 each.

A court in Saint Petersburg sentenced 43-year-old Maksim Bubenshchikov to 14.5 years in prison on charges of sabotage and attempted sabotage. He was found guilty of setting fire to four railway relay cabinets in the summer of 2023 in Lisiy Nos, Beloostrov, Sestroretsk and Lebyazhye. Prosecutors alleged that Bubenshchikov reported his actions via Telegram and received cryptocurrency payments as compensation.

In Penza, two teenagers are under criminal investigation for an act of terror allegedly committed in a group in conspiracy. They are accused of setting fire to two cell towers on Nov. 7 and 9. According to investigators, the suspects—a high school student and a university student—communicated via Telegram with an unidentified person who promised them 20,000 rubles [$200] for the arson. The fires did not disrupt communications.

According to the SHOT Telegram channel, in the early hours of Nov. 18, two young men threw a Molotov cocktail at a motorized railcar used for railway maintenance in the town of Ramenskoye, Moscow region. The fire spread across an area of 7 square meters before being extinguished. The suspects, 19-year-old Belarusian citizen Ilya and 18-year-old Anton from the Vladimir region, were detained the same day. They claimed that they were promised a payment of 120,000 rubles [$1,200] for the arson. A criminal case has been initiated for an act of terror committed in a group in conspiracy.

A court has dismissed the criminal case against an elderly woman from Ivanovo who set fire to a ballot box after receiving a call from scammers. Natalia Nikulicheva was fined 15,000 rubles [$150]. This is the first known instance of a criminal case being dropped in connection with obstructing the work of an election commission.

Assistance

Residents of Novosibirsk have been invited to join the Smart City initiative and raise funds to support Russian soldiers. Meanwhile, in 2025, regional authorities plan to allocate 10 billion rubles [$100 million] for purposes related to the war in Ukraine.

Children

In the Kemerovo region, schoolchildren are making woven "survival bracelets" for Russian soldiers, which can be used as tourniquets or for tying up prisoners of war.

Kursk Region

The heads of border districts in the Kursk region continue working after their "resignation." Aleksandr Bogachyov, head of the Sudzhansky district, withdrew his resignation on Nov. 13, just a day after submitting it. He has since held several meetings as district head. Similarly, Marina Degtyaryova, head of the Korenevsky district, announced that she does not intend to step down from her position.

Miscellaneous

In 2024, Russian regions spent a record 182.9 million rubles [$1.83 million] on identifying the bodies of deceased people, including participants in the invasion of Ukraine. This amount is nearly double the spending of the previous year. Journalists from the Vyorstka media outlet calculated this sum based on large-scale purchases of reagents and equipment used for identifying bodies. The Moscow region allocated the most funds for these purchases, spending 62.7 million rubles [$627,800].

1,000 Days of Russia's War Against Ukraine

Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] compiled data on the human toll of the war, documenting the number of Ukrainian civilians killed or taken prisoner, the territories occupied by Russia and the persecution faced by anti-war Russians. The outlet also released a photo collection reflecting the impact of the war. The 7x7—Gorizontalnaya Rossiya [Horizontal Russia] news outlet published its own photo series illustrating how 1,000 days of war have affected Russian regions. Meanwhile, the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel presented statistics summarizing key aspects of the war.