mobilization briefs
October 18, 2022

Volunteer summary of mobilization in the Russian Federation for October 16–17

The Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that “all the objectives of the partial mobilization have been fully met” with a reference to the Moscow Military Commissar. It is also reported that “all the draft gathering points are to be closed down starting from 02:00 pm on October 17, 2022. The draft notices issued during mobilization to places of residence and companies, are invalidated». After the announcement of the completion of the "partial" mobilization in Moscow, temporary draft gathering points (video 1, video 2, video 3) started to shut down. For example, the recruited with draft notices were asked to leave the draft office at the Zubovskiy boulevard, and a conscript with draft notice was sent back home at the draft gathering point located at the VDNKH (Exhibition of Achievement of National Economy, a permanent trade show and amusement park in Moscow).

The Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov announced the full execution of the partial mobilization objectives following the Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The Chairman of Agora International Human Rights Group Pavel Chikov noticed that only the government official who had announced the mobilization can finish it. The announcements of the heads of Russian regions don't possess any legal power, and the previous practice of some regions tells us that the mobilization can be continued after receiving a new request from the Ministry of Defense.

The Saint Petersburg Governor  Aleksandr Beglov fired the head of the office of the city administration for the mobilization affairs Viktor Shevchenko from his post.

Alexey Venediktov (Russian journalist, former editor-in-chief, host and co-owner of the Echo of Moscow radio station) points out that the Moscow Military Commissar was replaced in the beginning of October. Major general Viktor Schepilov was replaced with his deputy, colonel Maksim Loktev, who announced the end of the mobilization activities in Moscow on October 17.

The draft law regarding the abolition of mobilization exemptions for senators and representatives from recruitment for military service during the mobilization was submitted to the State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian Parliament). It was declared by the head of the “Spravedlivaya Rossiya” (A Just Russia) parliamentary faction Sergei Mironov, who was one of the initiators of the bill, in his Telegram channel. Also, according to the bill, officers of the security forces (National Guard, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Military Prosecutor's Office, etc.)  are supposed to be drafted first. First reactions on the bill followed shortly. The ruling “Edinaya Rossiya” (United Russia) parliamentary party representative Oleg Morozov spoke out against canceling the exemptions for representatives and senators, reasoning it with their “duty to the citizens of the country”, and the Communist parliamentary party representative Nikolai Kharitonov labeled such initiatives as “performative patriotism”. And senator Andrey Klishas noted that according to the effective legislation the representatives are not forbidden to join the army as volunteers .

Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin called to do everything possible for “partial” mobilization to “accomplish initial tasks and meet its goals”.

Deputy of the State Duma, General Gurulev also issued another statement, this time on Chita state TV channel. He complained about problems with alcohol among military personnel. According to him, several mobilized men have been sent home due to alcoholism.

Citizens of Tajikistan, who opened fire on a shooting range in Belgorod region, have been identified. They appeared to be 23-year old Mehrob Rahmonov and 24-year old Ehson Aminzod. They were "mobilized as volunteers” (quoting BAZA channel) and arrived at the shooting range on the 11th of October. “BAZA” have published a list of 11 deceased. There are residents of Moscow, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Rostov regions, also residents of Yakutia republic and one person born in Ukraine. Also at least two soldiers from the list appear to be alive. The Dozhd TV channel contacted the allegedly deceased Denis Sititsyn. He said he had been transferred to another unit before the event. He was transferred together with Aleksey Sapkalov. “Podmoskovye today” reported that Sapkalov is alive, referencing his friend. At the same time relatives have identified Ehson Aminzod, killed on the shooting range, who has been named as one of the shooters. His brother reports that he was not a citizen of the Russian Federation. He came to Russia around 7 months before, had been working in a restaurant and wasn’t going to go to war. He disappeared on 10th of October around Lublino subway station.

Ombudsman of Krasnoyarsk Territory Mark Denisov reported that from the beginning of “partial” mobilization he got two dozen complaints. People often complain that the summons are received by people with health problems. Also fathers with multiple children have been summoned to military enlistment offices, including those who have disabled children and in families where mothers don't work.

There were 10 mistakenly mobilized, sent from Ekaterinburg to Luhansk while having health problems, Deputy of the state Duma Maksim Ivanov reported. Now the mobilized are waiting to be sent to a hospital.

The mobilization left the villagers in Bukachacha (Zabaykalie Region) without water when the water delivery driver was called up. Elderly ladies sport milkmaid’s yokes as they carry buckets of water home. In Leningrad Region, Artem Kuflevskiy, 28, is wanted by the draft board. He has never served in the military and works at a homeless shelter.

In Moscow, the relatives of the migrant road construction laborers who were rounded up and handed military summons demand that their children be returned home. An official at the Kuntsevo draft commission lied that he never took passports away from the mobilized.

Last night, the mobilized gathered at the Khabarovsk airport were bused to their places of service.

Even as the Ministry of Defense continues to disseminate videos showing the training of the newly mobilized, the mobilized from the town of Zainsk complain that they have received nothing: “We get some aid from citizens, grandmothers are knitting us socks, but the administration claims it’s coming from them.” The mobilized from the Tver Region tell of being handed out airsoft body armor and helmets of questionable quality.

In Novosibirsk, craft school students made good luck charms for tank company soldiers about to be dispatched to the combat zone in Ukraine.  In Yakutsk, the families of the mobilized will receive vegetable packages.

There are unconfirmed reports that men who had call-up papers issued to them are being taken off trains at the Belarus border.

The Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights stated that some of the mobilized have not received the promised government payouts and that banks are denying volunteers deferrals on repayment of credit.

Unknown arsonists set fire to the draft office in the village of Muhoshibir in Buryatia. They threw a Molotov cocktail onto the roof of the building. The night watchman reported the fire which ended up damaging the facade but the flames did not penetrate the inside.

A court in the Russian republic of Adygea sentenced the mobilized man Andrei Kulik to 25 days in prison for evasion of his military duty.

All three plaintiffs who filed “mobilization” suits in St. Petersburg changed their minds about sewing the military commissariat. The three consecutive hearings all resulted in the cases being dropped as none of the plaintiffs appeared in the courtroom.

Three employees of the Synergy University are accused of committing fraud while assisting draft evasion. According to the prosecutors, they promised to enroll an applicant into an in-person program at the university in exchange for a 180 thousand ruble payment. Allegedly, since October 1, such conduct is no longer legal.

Several Russian regions host concerts for the mobilized. Besides Chelyabinsk, concerts happened in Novosibirsk, at the training grounds at the Far East Higher Combined Arms Command School, and at the Kazan Tank Academy.