Mobilization in Russia for Nov. 19-21, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] has passed the draft federal budget for 2025–2027 in its third reading. Lawmakers made several amendments to the government’s version as a result of the second reading. Notably, they allocated additional funds for grants and subsidies to the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund, which supports "veterans of the special military operation." The fund is headed by Anna Tsivilyova, Putin's relative and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. As previously reported (1, 2, 3, 4), spending on "national defense" is projected to reach a record 13.5 trillion rubles [$134 billion] in 2025. In total, the state will direct approximately 41% of next year’s budget expenditures toward defense and security. Spending on "patriotic education" in 2025 is also set to increase by 50% compared to planned levels and by 20 times compared to the pre-war period.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
For the first time, young men from the occupied territories of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions have been conscripted into the Russian Armed Forces for regular service. Authorities claim that conscripts from the occupied territories, like Russian conscripts, will not be sent to combat zones and will serve in units within the Southern Military District, including the Caucasus and annexed Crimea. Previously, Yevhen Balytskyi, the head of the occupation administration in the Zaporizhzhia region, had promised that residents of the region would not be mobilized into the Russian army for five years following the region's annexation. The announcement of conscription from the occupied territories was reported in late October by the Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet. Additionally, journalists confirmed that residents of the Kherson region took part in the ceremonial send-off, including one man whose twin brother is a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. His brother had defended the Azovstal Steel Factory and was later captured by Russian forces.
The city of Ulyanovsk has introduced a one-time municipal payment of 200,000 rubles [$1,990] for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. This payment, effective from Nov. 11, 2024, is in addition to the national and regional bonuses. With the addition of this municipal payment, individuals signing contracts to participate in the war can now receive a total of 1,050,000 rubles [$10,500].
A branch of DOSAAF [Russian Army, Air Force, and Navy Volunteer Society] in Russia’s constituent Republic of Bshkortostan reported that under the Recruit project, launched in August 2024 and offering a payment of 50,000 rubles [$500] for recruiting new contract soldiers, more than 2,300 applications for payments have been submitted. A month ago, the number of applications stood at 1,600.
In the city of Irkutsk, advertisements are promoting contract-based military service, with contracts proposed to be signed via Russia's constituent Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The advertisements promise a sign-up bonus of 1.6 million rubles [$15,900], which is twice the amount offered in the Irkutsk region, where the payment for signing a contract is 400,000 rubles [$3,980], plus an additional national payment of 400,000 rubles [$3,980]. Besides the money, the ad also promises "accelerated Russian citizenship for foreign nationals."
Veliky Novgorod officials shelled out 9 million rubles [$89,600] on digital billboards at the city’s main university. However, instead of calling on youth to enroll in educational programs, the billboards show ads for contract-based military service.
Roundups of potential conscripts continue at Moscow subway stations. By using surveillance cameras linked to a facial recognition system, police identify young men, detain them, and immediately deliver them to a military collection point. The Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all]! Telegram channel reported two such occurrences. The project also told the story of a Tatarstan-born potential conscript whom the draft office tried to summon by citing an electronic draft notice. The Idite Lesom! reminds that electronic draft notices are not in effect until the electronic registry is fully launched.
Lines to draft offices have been seen in Tyumen. Over 300 men are currently on the waiting list. Appointments are accepted twice a week and, according to one of the visitors, about 20 people are processed in a day. The majority of the visitors are recently naturalized men who fear losing their Russian citizenship due to recent law changes. Currently, new citizens must register with the military immediately after obtaining their Russian passport or face the possibility of losing their Russian citizenship. Authorities have already announced several cases where men who evaded military registration were stripped of their citizenship.
Human rights activists have launched the "Guide to the Draft Office" bot on Telegram, in order to help conscripts secure alternative civilian service. Meanwhile, the Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel has answered the frequently asked questions regarding draft deferrals available to students.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The Constitutional Court has published a decision following a contract soldier's complaint over his denial of discharge upon reaching the maximum service age. The soldier sought to have Article 4 of Federal Law No. 269 which raised the maximum service age declared unconstitutional, arguing that the new maximum age of 65 should not apply to those who signed contracts before the law took effect. He contended that he should be discharged under the previous rules, which set the age limit at 50. However, the court found no inconsistencies in the law, stating that the new legislation established revised age categories. The ruling resolves legal disputes over the maximum discharge age during the mobilization period. Under the new law, the age limit is 70 for senior officers and 65 for all other categories of military personnel.
Relatives of conscripts from Russia’s constituent Republic of Chuvashia, serving in the 90th Tank Division near Chebarkul, are seeking to terminate contracts signed by the young men under psychological pressure earlier this month. At the time, the conscripts were presented with documents purportedly required for their service in the Chebarkul garrison. They were told that by signing, they could complete a one-year term in the unit and then return home. They were also assured that the contracts could be canceled within three months. In reality, such contracts are nearly impossible to annul. When approached, the unit’s headquarters informed relatives that there had been no violations, claiming the conscripts had signed the documents voluntarily and without coercion. Now, the young men face threats of deployment to the frontline or border regions. Reports indicate that at least 40 conscripts from the Chebarkul unit were coerced and manipulated into signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense.
In Yekaterinburg, the widow of 53-year-old Ilmar, who died in a combat zone on Dec. 3, 2023, has been denied regional and presidential compensation for his death. The death notice cites acute heart failure as the cause, though his family claims he had no prior health issues. Since his death was not directly linked to combat operations, the military commissariat informed his wife that she is only eligible for standard insurance payouts, excluding other benefits.
A contract soldier with a severe head injury is being denied medical treatment. After suffering the injury, assault trooper Nikolay G. underwent two surgeries and now requires 60 days of rehabilitation. However, according to his wife, the commander of the 7th Motorized Rifle Regiment is unlawfully keeping him confined to the barracks and refusing to approve his medical leave request, despite the soldier’s significant difficulties with speech and comprehension.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
More than half of those convicted of torture in Russia over the past two years have been military personnel, according to the Team Against Torture human rights organization, as reported by the Vyorstka media outlet. Lawyers analyzed all verdicts issued under the relevant article of the Russian Criminal Code during this period, totaling 326 court rulings. According to the report's authors, torture among military personnel is seen as "a method of asserting dominance, retaliation and warning others." Instances of torture were reportedly triggered by reasons such as unwashed dishes, poorly cleaned assault rifles, or violations of daily routines. Human rights advocates noted that the most common form of torture is beatings, though the use of special equipment or threats with weapons is also frequent. Most victims are left with bruises, but in some cases, the torture has resulted in serious health consequences or even death.
In Yekaterinburg, a war participant committed a double murder. On Nov. 20, Aleksey Ryzhkov, who had previously been convicted three times for murder, theft, and causing bodily harm, fatally stabbed his former girlfriend, 42-year-old Olga Fedotova, and 45-year-old Aleksey Kuyvashev. The killer attempted to flee the city but was apprehended. Neighbors reported that Ryzhkov had previously beaten Fedotova.
A court in Tyumen has sentenced 37-year-old Ildar Akhatov, a former Wagner Group mercenary, to three and a half years in a penal colony and a fine of 50,000 rubles [$500] on charges of fraud. Akhatov convinced three other former war participants that he had government connections that could help them obtain subsidized housing. For this "assistance," the soldiers transferred more than 1 million rubles [$9,900] to Akhatov who had a criminal record. In 2012, Akhatov was sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony for the murder of his girlfriend. While in the penal colony, Akhatov was recruited as a mercenary for the war and returned home in 2023.
A court has arrested the former mayor of Petrozavodsk, Vladimir Lyubarsky, for two months on charges of accepting a bribe in a particularly large amount. In the summer of 2023, Lyubarsky resigned and signed a four-month contract with the Akhmat unit. Reports suggesting he joined the war to avoid possible criminal prosecution were dismissed by the official as rumors.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained Nikolai Gaiduk, a German citizen, on suspicion of blowing up a gas distribution station pipeline in Kaliningrad in March 2024. Gaiduk was detained while entering the Kaliningrad region from Poland. According to the FSB, 0.5 liters of liquid explosives were found in his car. The agency claims that Gaiduk committed sabotage in Russia and was preparing new acts of sabotage, allegedly on the orders of a "Ukrainian handler." Criminal cases have been initiated against him for an act of terror and smuggling explosives. He has been arrested. According to the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet, Gaiduk is originally from the town of Konotop, Ukraine.
An 18-year-old man from Arkhangelsk was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of vandalism, two counts of attempted terrorist acts, participation in a terrorist organization, and high treason. The young man was detained in late September on the premises of a military unit, where he was found carrying a bottle of incendiary mixture. According to the FSB, the detainee had been in contact with representatives of Ukrainian intelligence services and planned to set fire to military vehicles.
In September, a court in the Chelyabinsk region convicted a woman of justifying terrorism and fined her 600,000 rubles [$5,970]. The charges were based on a comment she left under a news article about the sentencing of individuals accused of setting fire to a draft office, in which she expressed support for their speedy release.
A man from Sarov in the Nizhny Novgorod region will face trial on charges of damaging a banner promoting enlistment to the war against Ukraine. According to investigators, from September 2023 to March 2024, the man repeatedly defaced the banner, leading to charges of "discrediting the Russian Armed Forces." Additionally, he is accused of distributing extremist materials on social media and through flyers. The defendant was placed under house arrest and ordered to pay compensation.
A court in Bashkortostan has sentenced Yevgeniya Aleksandrova, a vocational school student from the village of Oleksandropil to 400 hours of compulsory labor in a case related to an attempt to obstruct the exercise of electoral rights. According to law enforcement, on the evening of March 15, the young woman attempted to pour brilliant green dye into a ballot box but was apprehended before she could carry out the act. Aleksandrova pleaded guilty to the charges. She explained that she had been "assigned a debt" of 210,000 rubles [$2,090] and was promised that the debt would be forgiven if she successfully completed the task.
Assistance
In the Novosibirsk region, as part of the "Parcel and Letter to a Soldier" campaign, children with disabilities were involved in gathering assistance for Russian soldiers.
Authorities in Russia's constituent Republic of Buryatia have decided to forgo New Year's corporate events, reallocating the funds to support the ongoing war. This decision does not affect New Year’s events for children. Officials in the Sakha also opted out of corporate celebrations for the third consecutive year. In the Lipetsk region, local authorities have recommended businesses cancel private New Year’s parties.
The Kazan City Hall held its first "humanitarian" forum, during which Mayor Ilsur Metshin announced that the city had already spent more than 2 billion rubles [$19.9 million] on the war. These funds were directed towards supporting families, soldiers, and activities related to recruitment.
Children
In Vladivostok, Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], at the stadium of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, which is currently engaged in the war, a military-patriotic game named “A Day on the Forward Positions" has been held for schoolchildren, which included a shooting competition and military medical training.
In Vladimir, at a patriotic song contest of the Young Army [pro-Kremlin youth organization], children were shown a nuclear weapons propaganda video in the form of a sand animation.
Miscellaneous
Roman Balashov, who was mobilized in September 2022 and deployed to Ukraine, will assume the role of Deputy Governor of the Lipetsk region. Balashov is a participant in the Time of Heroes personnel program. In the war, Balashov held the rank of a commander of a reconnaissance regiment and sustained injuries on two occasions.
Zamir Gadzhimuradov, a former advisor to the head of Russia’s constituent Republic of Dagestan and a volunteer fighter in the war with Ukraine, who had served as a deputy commander of the Akhmat Battalion, has been appointed mayor of the Dagestanskiye Ogni town.
In the Krasnodar region, the mayor of Novorossiysk, Andrey Kravchenko, has stated that the funds previously allocated for the construction of playgrounds for children will be redirected towards enhancing the city's defenses. Meanwhile, the authorities of the Leningrad region will transfer basements from private to municipal or state ownership with the goal of establishing emergency shelters in these places.