Mobilization in Russia for Nov. 28-29, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Putin has approved a list of 21 key performance indicators to assess regional governors. These KPIs include the birth rate, the satisfaction level of "veterans of the special military operation with conditions for medical rehabilitation, retraining and employment," as well as the "percentage of people engaged in volunteer activities."

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Reports continue to emerge about the detention of conscription-age men. In Penza, authorities have been holding Dmitry Shipunov at a military collection point for 12 days, writes the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel. On Nov. 18, Shipunov visited the collection point to submit documents confirming a medical condition. Instead of accepting the documents, officials altered his diagnosis, confiscated his phone and have not allowed him to leave since. For two days, he was denied food and subjected to physical force. Officials have also been using threats in an attempt to coerce him into putting on a military uniform. Meanwhile in Moscow, authorities detained Yelisey Kharitonov while he was collecting an international passport at a Multifunctional Public Services Center, according to the Movement of Conscientious Objectors [human rights organization supporting those who refuse to perform military service]. Kharitonov had applied for alternative civilian service earlier this summer. Despite this, officials handcuffed him, took him to a police station and later transferred him to the Unified Military Recruitment Center. When Kharitonov refused to comply, officials charged him with a misdemeanor and fined him 30,000 rubles [$280] for failing to appear after receiving a draft notice.

Detentions in the Moscow metro continue. The independent media outlet Ostorozhno, Moskva [Beware, Moscow] reported two such incidents. On Nov. 27, 23-year-old Aleksandr K., diagnosed with an anxiety-depressive disorder and contesting his fitness for service in court, was detained. He was taken to the Moscow military collection point on Ugreshskaya Street, where he has been held for three days. That same day, a 24-year-old orphan Nikita Prytkov from the city of Astrakhan was detained through CCTV camera footage in the metro. After being taken to a police station, where his passport and phone were confiscated, Prytkov was transferred to the Unified Military Recruitment Center on Yablochkova Street. There, he was deemed fit for service and is now being prepared for deployment, despite a previous medical evaluation board decision declaring him unfit. Meanwhile, in the Yekaterinburg metro, leaflets advertising contract military service with the Ministry of Defense are being distributed.

Roskomnadzor [Russia's internet censorship agency] has demanded that the NGS.ru media outlet remove the name of Dmitry Buol, a hitman for a Novosibirsk criminal group, from its post due to his participation in the war. In 2011, Buol was sentenced to 17 years in prison for four murders, two attempted murders and involvement in organized criminal activities. In October of this year, NGS.ru reported that Buol had been released, joined the war and subsequently returned to the city of Novosibirsk in 2024. The outlet complied with Roskomnadzor's request.

Meanwhile, Yevgeny Pogoreltsev, sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony for murder and theft, will be deployed to the war from the Krasnodar region. In 2018, Pogoreltsev and an accomplice killed their acquaintance and stole his car. Although a jury recently found the defendants guilty, Pogoreltsev was released from serving his sentence following a petition from the head of the military recruitment facility.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

BBC News Russian, together with Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] and a team of volunteers, has identified the names of 80,973 Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including 9,861 mobilized men. Over the week, the list has been updated with the names of 1,154 soldiers, including 178 mobilized soldiers. BBC notes a continued sharp increase in losses among volunteer fighters, who now account for 22% of the total confirmed Russian fatalities. Many of these volunteer fighters are killed within two to four weeks after being deployed to the frontline.

Former participants in the war in Ukraine who fought as part of the Kaskad military unit have reported a lack of payments and social support due to their status as "veterans of the Internal Troops of the DPR Ministry of Internal Affairs." One of them, Sergey Belykh, received no compensation during his service, despite suffering injuries to his legs and arm from a mine explosion. Another serviceman, Sergey Kuts, voluntarily signed a contract but was not given a copy of it. When his wife later sought documentation, she was informed that Kuts was now serving as a mobilized soldier. As a result, he has received no payments and has been denied a military pension. Authorities claim that Kuts has no affiliation with the "DPR Ministry of Internal Affairs." According to Kuts, 829 former war participants have been left without payments or benefits, with the total debt amounting to 106 million rubles [$971,800].

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

The Travmpunkt [Trauma Center] legal advocacy project has shed light on a brutal murder committed by a former convict who had returned from the war. The court sentenced him to 22 years in prison for murder with extreme brutality and arson. In January of this year, 31-year-old Nikolay Ch., a resident of Uralsk, was drinking with two strangers. At some point, the men began a heated argument, during which the war veteran grabbed a knife, smashed a bottle and stabbed one of the men 68 times and the other at least 66 times. He then severed one victim’s finger and part of his ear. Following this, the former soldier set the apartment on fire. Nikolay Ch. had enlisted in the war from a penal colony in October 2022, received a pardon and returned home in May 2023. He had been free for just over half a year.

In Saint Petersburg, a 31-year-old man brutally assaulted a neighbor with a baseball bat over loud music. The attacker claimed to be a war veteran, although the Baza Telegram channel, which shared the video, noted that his military affiliation has not yet been confirmed.

Also in Saint Petersburg, police detained a soldier accused of robbing a store on Nov. 28. According to media reports, the man had already been placed in custody for armed robbery in July this year. Mediazona identified the soldier as Aleksandr Solodovnikov, who, according to information found by the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet, was also involved in war recruitment efforts.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel points out that, according to official statistics from the Judicial Department of the Russian Federation Supreme Court, 68 commanders were convicted of assaulting their subordinates in the first half of 2024. Although this crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, such cases often result in probation instead.

In the town of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region, two adolescents have been detained on suspicion of setting fire to railroad equipment. According to the Internal Affairs Ministry, the youths committed the arson in exchange for a 20,000 ruble [$180] reward. They are being accused of committing an act of terror and are currently under house arrest.

On Nov. 28, authorities in Ufa arrested several people suspected in a "series of arsons at draft offices and assaulting police personnel." They face criminal charges of committing an act of terror and calls to extremism. Under some accounts, they also face charges of inciting terrorism. Sources report that the detainees are members of a "radical libertarian group" called Nihilistic Libertarian Propaganda. The No Future Telegram channel cites a source claiming that five people were detained; however, the exact number is still unknown.

A resident of Perm has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment, the first two and a half of which he will serve in prison and the rest in a maximum security penal colony. The man was accused of preparing an act of terror for allegedly spreading "negative information" about the war with Ukraine on the Internet and looking for like-minded individuals to set fire to a draft office.

A court in Saint Petersburg has sentenced Aleksandr Stalberg, a driver, to three years in a penal colony for "confidential" cooperation with foreigners. According to the court, Stalberg pleaded guilty.

A court in Russian-annexed Crimea has sentenced Yevgeny Melnichuk, a Ukrainian citizen residing in Yalta, to 17 years in prison for espionage. According to law enforcement officers, Melnichuk allegedly collected information on the locations and movements of Russian military personnel and equipment and passed it onto the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.

The FSB has opened a criminal espionage case against 24-year-old Leonid Popov, a resident of the occupied city of Melitopol, diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia. The case was initiated on Aug. 15, 2024. Technically, Popov remained free until that date; however, he had been missing since April 2023—just one day before he was scheduled to evacuate from occupied Melitopol—and has been in custody ever since. Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] previously detailed Popov's case.

Assistance

In the Irkutsk region, hunters have been handing over their rifles to Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard], which then supplies them to Russian soldiers to help shoot down drones. According to officials, hunters have already provided 304 rifles to the military.

In the Krasnodar region, kindergarten children have been involved in collecting canned goods for war participants.

Children and Educational System

The Vyorstka media outlet has discovered that the Russian Znanie [Knowledge] Society has launched a free online course titled "Prevention of Neo-Nazi Ideology Among Children and Youth." The course explains the nature of "Russophobia," refutes opposition narratives, and suggests "rebuilding the identity" of Ukrainian children. A separate module focuses on working with children of Ukrainian refugees and those studying in schools located in the "historical territories of Russia" (occupied cities of Ukraine).

Meanwhile, in the Stavropol region, war participants showed ninth-grade students a grenade launcher during a "lesson of courage" at a school.

Miscellaneous

The "Time Z" exhibition has opened in Saint Petersburg. It features a mix of provocative exhibits, including a large piece of coal and paintings depicting weapons and soldiers. One painting portrays a projectile with the inscription "for peace." Artist Viktor Zabuga, who has previously faced accusations of rape from several women, is among the participants. The exhibition also offers a themed cocktail called "Blood and Tears of Russophobes," made with vodka and tomato juice.