Mobilization in Russia for Oct. 5-7, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Individuals applying for Russian citizenship may soon be required to submit a physical copy of their criminal record from their country of origin, along with their other documents. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has published a draft decree that would amend the regulation on the citizenship application procedure to include this requirement. The proposal, however, would exempt Ukrainian citizens and individuals serving under contract in the Russian Armed Forces or other military formations.

Army Recruitment

Authorities in Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan have slashed the one-time sign-up bonus for new military contracts by nearly sevenfold. The payment has been reduced from 2.7 million rubles [$32,600], established in August, to the minimum possible 400,000 rubles [$4,830]. The new, lower figure now appears on the regional draft office’s website, the official website for contract-based military service, as well as in banner advertisements on state-run media. Neither Tatarstan's media outlets nor the republic's Telegram channels reported on the reduction. Combined with the federal component, the new regional bonus brings the total incentive for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense to 800,000 rubles [$9,650].

Meanwhile, in the Tyumen region, authorities doubled the sign-up bonus to 3 million rubles [$36,200] from 1.5 million rubles [$18,100]. This incentive is currently the highest in the country. It will remain in effect at least until Nov. 30, bringing the total bonus for enlisting in the region, including the federal component, to 3.4 million rubles [$41,000].

The governor of the Ryazan region, Pavel Malkov, signed a decree stipulating that for recruiting citizens of countries not belonging to the CIS for the war, a payment of 574,700 rubles [$6,930] is provided. Earlier, the region had introduced payments of 57,500 rubles [$690] for the "recruitment" of a local resident, 345,000 rubles [$4,160] for a resident of another region, and 80,500 rubles [$970] for a foreign national.

In various cities of the Saratov region, mass roundups of migrants took place — 289 men were checked, and six of them, who had obtained Russian citizenship, were handed summons to report for military registration.

A 36-year-old resident of the Volgograd region, Aleksandr Khrenov, who beat his partner to death in early July, was sent from a pre-trial detention center to the war with Ukraine.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Semyon Karmanov, a resident of the city of Kemerovo who was diagnosed with an intellectual developmental delay and classified as disabled in childhood, was killed in the war. Despite the diagnosis, the medical evaluation board assigned Karmanov service fitness category "A" (fully fit for military service). The man was killed on Aug. 2 as a result of a head injury; he was 27 years old. Karmanov had enlisted for the war from a penal colony in the fall of 2023, from which he was scheduled to be released in April 2024.

The Russian government has allocated over 680 billion rubles [$8 billion] in the budget to increase monthly payments to combat veterans over the next three years. Before the outset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1.62 million people received veteran payments. This year's budget, accounting for all amendments, allocates 95.7 billion rubles [$1.1 billion] for these payments, meaning that a total of 2.6 million people are currently receiving them. In 2026, allocations for this category will more than double, reaching 203.6 billion rubles [$2.4 billion]. By 2028, the amount will reach 252.8 billion rubles [$3 billion]. Assuming the amount of veteran payments does not change significantly aside from inflation adjustments, the number of people receiving them should reach 3.9 million by 2028, including approximately 2.3 million current and former participants in the war in Ukraine.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

Since 2023, Russian soldiers have faced 989 criminal cases of murder and intentional grievous bodily harm resulting in death in military courts. There were 38 such cases in 2022, 266 in 2023, and 346 in 2024. By 2025, 377 similar criminal cases had already been filed in the courts. The number of violent crimes has been increasing since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Moscow City Court has sentenced Pavel Guguyev, a 45-year-old war veteran who had returned from Ukrainian captivity, to four years in a penal colony on charges of "confidential" cooperation with foreigners. Guguyev was recruited for the war from a penal colony in early May 2023, where he was serving a 12-year sentence for murder, assault and theft. He was captured just two days after arriving at the frontline. In May 2023, he gave an interview to Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Karpenko in which he criticized Russian command. Guguyev returned to Russia in June 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange. A month later, he gave Karpenko a second interview from a military base in the Moscow region, saying he had been held at the base for two months and was being pressured to claim he was "forced" to record the first interview. The man also stated that exchanged and wounded Russian soldiers were not being allowed to return home and were being forced back to the frontline. He said he had no intention of returning to the war himself. Guguyev has been in custody since late 2023.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Oleksiy Mozharov, a 43-year-old POW from the Ukrainian "Aidar" battalion, to 17 and a half years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of terrorism training and participation in a terrorist organization. According to the court, Mozharov voluntarily joined "Aidar" on June 1, 2024. He underwent training from June 5-10 and was immediately sent to forward positions on June 10. He was captured on the 14th near the village of Ivanivske in the Donetsk region.

A 31-year-old engineer at a Volgograd research institute, Andrey Mitrofanov, has been sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony on charges of treason and money laundering. The specific allegations against him have not been disclosed.

In the Vladimir region, a 29-year-old resident of Kovrov has been sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony for preparation for high treason. According to investigators, he attempted to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine by selling his motorcycle to fund the trip, submitting an application, and preparing to leave Russia. FSB officers detained him in June 2024. Law enforcement officials say he had a prior criminal record, including convictions for calls for terrorism online and attempting to join a terrorist organization. He allegedly photographed neglected public facilities for the Security Service of Ukraine.

Moscow resident Vitaly Koltsov, who threw a Molotov cocktail at a police van during an anti-war protest, has had the remainder of his prison sentence replaced with a non-custodial labor penalty. He was detained on May 2, 2022, after throwing several bottles filled with flammable liquid at the vehicle. Initially held in a pre-trial detention center, he was later sentenced to six years in a penal colony. The charge was reclassified from attempted murder of law enforcement officers to a lesser offense involving the use of violence against them.

Assistance

In Omsk, war veteran Aleksey Chemis, who lost his right arm in combat, was given a Lada Granta modified for right-handed driving. Photos released by the Omsk regional press service portrayed the vehicle as a gift, but the accompanying text indicates that Chemis was granted its use only while employed at the local branch of DOSAAF [Russian Army, Air Force and Navy Volunteer Society].

Longreads

The Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] online media outlet] reports on how the Ministry of Defense lures new contract soldiers with promises that the war will soon be over.

The Kavkaz.Realii [Caucasus.Realities, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] media outletexamines court cases in southern Russia and the North Caucasus involving soldiers charged with going AWOL.

Novaya Gazeta Europe explores how Russia’s national budget is increasingly turning into a war chest, as spending on education, health care, and social programs continues to lag far behind the pace of military expenditures.