Mobilization in Russia for Oct. 20-21, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Russian Ministry of Justice has drafted amendments to martial law legislation that would allow governmental agencies at all levels to conceal information about their operations during wartime. If passed, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Investigative Committee and courts could restrict access to information regarding the actions of federal, regional and local authorities in areas where martial law is declared. The government's legislative commission has already endorsed this proposal.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
Every week in Angarsk, a city in the Irkutsk region, bailiffs and municipal councilors visit the homes of debtors and their relatives to pressure debtors to enlist and join the war, telling them that enforcement proceedings would be suspended if they sign a military service contract. Earlier, the Sota media outlet was reporting on similar messages, which were beginning to appear on notices to debtors. Although enforcement cannot be suspended in cases involving child support, bailiffs urge such debtors to enlist as a way to pay off the debts to their children. For example, a resident of Irkutsk facing criminal charges for unpaid child support, decided to go to war after bailiffs held an "explanatory meeting" with him.
As users of the mos.ru public services portal continue to receive “draft notices,” the Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel stresses that it is legally permissible to ignore them without fear of getting fined. According to the law, official draft notices can only be issued through the Unified Military Register [digital system to identify citizens subject to military service and serve draft notices], which has not been launched yet. Public services portal like mos.ru can only notify individuals that draft notices have been sent; they cannot serve as the official means of delivery. Therefore, these notifications are legally considered to be informal alerts. Similarly, SMS messages urging individuals to visit the draft office are not official draft notices, meaning there is no legal penalty for disregarding them.
In Tolyatti, Samara region, during an event organized by the local Civil Protection Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a ministry vehicle drove around the city urging local residents through loudspeakers to join the war against Ukraine. Volunteer fighters are promised a payment of 2 million rubles [$20,700] for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Konstantin Polezhayev, the former deputy governor of the Belgorod region, who was sentenced to five years in a maximum security penal colony for accepting a large bribe, has been deployed to the war. On Oct. 16, the Belgorod regional court suspended the consideration of the appeal in his case after receiving a petition from the commander of a military unit in which Polezhayev would allegedly fight in Ukraine. In the summer of 2023, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov fired Polezhayev due to his failure to restore areas affected by combat activities. Around the same time, Polezhayev was detained in connection with a bribery case. On Aug. 12, the court found him guilty and, in addition to the prison sentence, imposed a fine of 36 million rubles [$372,400]. In his final statement, Polezhayev stated that he was "ready to sacrifice his life" and revealed that he had signed a contract with the MoD.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Vladimir Vedernikov from the Zabaykalsky region [Russia's federal subject], Aleksandr Yagodov from Russia's constituent Republic of Chuvashia and Dmitry Krivkov from the Volgograd region.
Additionally, it has been reported that 19-year-old conscript Maksim Ivannikov from the Sverdlovsk region has died in the Kursk region. Earlier, we wrote about how Ivannikov's mother was searching for him after he lost contact in mid-September. The information about his death has been confirmed by the regional human rights ombudsman. The young man was killed on Sept. 19.
Eighty-five mercenaries have returned to India after being tricked into fighting in Ukraine, according to India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. He also stated that the remains of those killed in action have been repatriated. However, around 20 Indians have yet to be demobilized from the Russian army. In September, reports indicated that 45 Indian citizens had been discharged from the Russian Armed Forces.
Relatives of soldiers killed in action from the Molot volunteer battalion have lodged complaints against the military commissar of the city of Perm, who, in violation of current legal norms, is forcing the wives and mothers of the KiA to cover the cost of transporting their bodies to burial sites. The coffins are being transported on open trailers.
In Donetsk, the father of four children, thirty-year-old Aleksandr Barlet, was kidnapped and held in a basement, where he was forced to sign a contract. Barlet had been serving in "DPR" units since 2019, and despite his "contract" expiring in 2022, he participated in the full-scale invasion. In March 2023, Barlet suffered a concussion during fighting near the town of Avdiivka, and shortly after, his wife gave birth to their fourth child. On March 28, he went on unofficial leave, which ended with his abduction by unidentified men in civilian clothes on May 24. They assaulted Barlet before taking him to the occupation commandant's office in Donetsk, where he was placed in a basement alongside eight others who were also accused of going AWOL. A week later, he was handed over to members of some 116th unit, who informed him he was being taken to sign a contract. Barlet managed to escape en route, but while he remains in hiding, unknown individuals without identification, claiming to be military police, have repeatedly visited his parents and wife. One such visit was recorded on video by his spouse. Meanwhile, a document from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, obtained by his wife, states that no cases have been opened against Barlet, and he is not listed as a deserter. His lawyer also confirmed this, suggesting that while Barlet served without a contract, someone else may have received his pay. According to the ASTRA Telegram channel’s tally, the commandant’s office in Donetsk is already the twentieth site used for the torture and detention of military personnel in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Soldiers from the assault company of the 19th Tank Regiment of the 25th Army have recorded a video address in which they claim that their command intends to eliminate them for refusing to follow reckless orders that result in massive casualties. After carrying out such orders, often given while under the influence of alcohol, the assault groups reportedly lost up to 90% of their personnel. According to assault trooper Edgar Kremer, battalion commander Sergey Radchenko and his aides began "nullifying" [executing] the soldiers several days ago. The surviving troops have since formed a defensive perimeter, as they find themselves caught between two forces: the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their own commanders. Kremer also revealed that the soldiers have not been on leave for over a year, and their unit lacks basic supplies, forcing them to purchase everything they need on their own.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
The Supreme Court of Dagestan [Russia’s constituent Republic] has released from pre-trial detention a former Storm-Z unit fighter accused of causing grievous bodily harm. The name of the accused and details of the crime have not been disclosed. The mercenary, who had a prior conviction, was arrested in July. However, the defense appealed the decision, citing his participation in the war against Ukraine and the injuries he had sustained. As a result, his detention was changed to house arrest. It is important to note that inflicting grievous bodily harm with the use of a weapon can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The military court has sentenced 35-year-old Vasily Votanovsky, a resident of the Chelyabinsk region, to 21 years of imprisonment for preparing an act of terror targeting the town administration of Rubtsovsk, Altai region [Russia’s federal subject]. According to investigators, on Sept. 28, 2022, Votanovsky fled Russia to Kyrgyzstan in an attempt to avoid mobilization. It is claimed that while there, he made contact with the Freedom of Russia Legion and "received instructional materials from a handler, which included information on methods of concealment and the manufacture of homemade explosives." Additionally, Votanovsky allegedly sent his handler a video pledging allegiance to the organization. In the fall of 2023, he arrived in Rubtsovsk, where, according to prosecutors, he planned to carry out an explosion at the town administration building. To this end, he allegedly manufactured an explosive device, after which he was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers in early October 2023. The specific charges Votanovsky was prosecuted under are not specified, as Russian court websites remain inaccessible. During his detention, charges of preparing an act of terror and illegal possession of explosives were mentioned.
In Yerevan, 34-year-old Roman Shklover, an activist of the Russian Diaspora of Armenia from Barnaul, was detained. He had been declared wanted in Russia on charges of justifying terrorism. Shklover was detained by Yerevan police officer Karen Galustyan and arrested for three days. As reported by Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs had placed Shklover on the wanted list no later than Sept. 16. In March, he was added to the list of "extremists and terrorists" by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation (Rosfinmonitoring). Shklover left Russia "due to politically motivated criminal prosecution," although the Russian Diaspora of Armenia did not specify the grounds for the case.
Children and Educational System
In the wake of Vladimir Putin's proposal, kindergartens across Russia have begun conducting "Talking About Important Things" [a compulsory lesson held every Monday in schools nationwide]. Over the past week alone, kindergarten groups on the VKontakte social network have published 102 reports on these lessons, according to the 7x7—Gorizontalnaya Rossiya [Horizontal Russia] news outlet. The media outlet notes that most topics of "Talking About Important Things" were not related to politics. However, in the village of Pangody in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region [Russia's federal subject], children were taught about "traditional values." In the city of Bogdanovich, Sverdlovsk region, a participant in the war with Ukraine was invited to the lesson. Meanwhile, in Kursk, a veteran of the Afghan war recited poems about the "special military operation" to kindergarteners.
Miscellaneous
The independent media outlet Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] reports that one of the people featured in its coverage of Russian authorities confiscating and canceling passports has managed to obtain a document. The young man had been living without a passport since the beginning of the mobilization.
Over the first half of 2024, almost 86,000 foreign nationals, just as many as over the entire year 2022, were expelled from Russia. Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] made this estimate based on their analysis of public records of the Department of Justice at Russia’s Supreme Court. In 2023, the number of deported migrants nearly reached 130,000. The number of cases filed against migrants for misdemeanors has also increased, as Vazhnyye Istorii points out. In the first six months of 2024, 124,000 such cases were submitted to the courts, matching the total from the entire year of 2022. These proceedings were largely related to the violation of entry requirements, breach of residence regulations or illegal employment in the Russian Federation. Another ten thousand foreign migrants faced criminal charges in the first half of 2024. Contrary to allegations made by Russian authorities, the proportion of migrants among offenders has not changed for many years, with the most common charge being forgery of documents.
With the unemployment rate in Russia at an all-time low, the demand for underage workforce has drastically increased. In particular, the demand for production packers aged 16 to 18 has tripled, while the need for sales assistants, sales managers and retail store associates has almost doubled, according to Avito Rabota, a popular Russian job portal. Teenage labor is on the rise in restaurants and fast food outlets as well, with the growth rate there exceeding 100%. In the Magnit supermarket chain, there has been a ninefold increase in the number of newly hired employees aged 16 to 17 compared to last year. Magnit says that employers are forced to loosen job requirements to hire in this tight labor market. According to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), the unemployment rate in Russia hit a record low of 2.4% in August 2024.