Mobilization in Russia for Oct. 6-7, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Belgorod regional authorities have increased the sign-up bonus for concluding a contract with the Ministry of Defense, raising the total amount to 3 million rubles [$31,600] when combining national, regional, and municipal contributions—a new national record. According to the region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, this payment will be available until Dec. 31 of this year. Previously, the total bonus in the region was 800,000 [$8,420], half of which came from the national contribution.

Since January 2024, mobilized soldiers from the Sverdlovsk region have been receiving sign-up bonuses of 400,000 rubles [$4,210] upon signing contracts with the MoD, according to State Duma deputy Maxim Ivanov. He claims that the majority of mobilized soldiers in the region have already taken advantage of this opportunity.

Andrey Lysenko, the military commissar of the Krasnoyarsk region, announced plans to conscript just over 4,000 young men from the region. Meanwhile, over 2,000 conscripts will be enlisted during this fall regular biannual conscription from the Tyumen region, according to the region's military commissar, Sergey Chirkov.

The Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods!] project has reported a wave of raids targeting conscription-age men in Saint Petersburg. In particular, people waiting in foot court lines at the Sennaya shopping complex had their military IDs checked. According to the project, those detained are being taken to the draft office and put through medical evaluation. The project also confirmed that document checks of conscription-age men at Moscow subway stations.

A Volgograd police officer who assaulted an adolescent boy went to the war after the case against him was suspended by a district court. In August 2022, a group of policemen beat up the 14-year-old in the village of Seleznyovka, mistaking him for a drug dealer. The boy sustained a closed fracture of the nose with displacement, multiple bruises and an eye injury before being released. Only one of the policemen ended up in court on charges of exceeding his authority with the use of force, committed as part of a group against a minor. He was potentially facing up to 10 years in a penal colony.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Vladislav Shirshonkov from the Volgograd region, Aleksey Shendo from the Sverdlovsk region, Roman Chepaikin, Semyon Zbrodov, Aleksandr Filatov and Andrey Tkalun from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], as well as Aleksandr Petukhov from the Yaroslavl region.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Novosibirsk, the woman who was assaulted by a former Wagner Group mercenary died in the hospital without regaining consciousness on the night of Oct. 7. The conflict between Mikhail T. and his victim occurred on Oct. 1 in his apartment. The soldier recorded himself beating the woman and sent the video to her son. He then dragged the woman outside and left her unconscious there.

In Saratov, Azamat Iskaliyev, a Storm-Z unit member, killed a young woman with a knife on Oct. 5. Iskaliyev visited his girlfriend's workplace with the intention of reconciling with her, but she insisted on breaking up. Iskaliyev hugged her, then pulled out a knife and attacked. The entire incident was captured on a CCTV camera. The young woman died on the spot from her injuries, leaving behind a seven-year-old child. Iskaliyev attempted to flee but was detained by the police. The Investigative Committee has opened a murder case. Iskaliyev had a history of criminal convictions. In particular, in 2021, he killed his wife in a similar manner but was released from prison due to his deployment to the war.

In Tomsk, a court has sentenced serviceman Kirill Zinovyev to five and a half years in a penal colony for going AWOL. According to the court, on May 1, 2023, Zinovyev did not return to his military unit from leave. Ten months later, on March 15, 2024, he was found and detained by the police.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] project learned the reason for the cassation court's overturning of the sentence of a contract soldier accused of refusing to execute an order. The higher court disagreed with the lower courts, which had found Andrey K. guilty of failure to execute an order from a commander "under the conditions of an armed conflict." According to the cassation court, "the President of the Russian Federation decided to conduct the "special military operation" in the territories of the "DPR" and "LPR," which does not qualify as an armed conflict." Thus, due to the incorrect classification of the charges, the case was sent for retrial in the first instance, and the contract soldier was released from the penal colony.

A court in Moscow has sentenced 72-year-old American Stephen Hubbard to six years and 10 months in a penal colony on charges of mercenarism for serving in the Ukrainian territorial defense forces. According to prosecutors, in March 2022, he joined the territorial defense forces in the town of Izium and was captured by Russian forces two months later. Hubbard pleaded guilty the day before his sentencing. However, his relatives doubt that he actually served in the territorial defense forces. They told Reuters that he held pro-Russian views and had come to Ukraine to teach English.

A military court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Ukrainian resident Irina Navalnaya to eight years in a penal colony for preparing a terrorist attack in the city of Mariupol. She was accused of attempting to commit an act of terror and illegally storing explosives. The 26-year-old native of Mariupol was charged with intending to set off an explosion near the administration building in occupied Mariupol on Sept. 27, 2022, the day of a referendum regarding the annexation of the "DPR" to Russia. According to Navalnaya, on that day, she was stopped by a police car, and the officers asked if she was related to Alexei Navalny. After checking her documents, they took her to the station in handcuffs, where they threatened, beat, and used a stun gun on her. Eventually, Navalnaya incriminated herself. Her stepfather, who served in the Azov Regiment, is currently in Russian captivity.

Cellmates are reportedly beating 16-year-old Arseny Turbin, who has been sentenced to five years in a juvenile penal colony for distributing leaflets critical of Putin in neighbors’ mailboxes and for completing a questionnaire for the Freedom of Russia Legion.

Assistance

In October, the government of the Samara region introduced new social transit cards, granting free unlimited access to public transportation for spouses, widows and widowers of service members involved in the invasion, as well as their children.

Children and Educational System

On Oct. 7, dozens of children in schools and kindergartens were compelled to wish Putin a happy birthday. The Ne Norma [Not a norm] Telegram channel discovered that second-grade students from the school of the town of Gubkinsky were arranged on their knees to form the letters P, U, T, I, N. Additionally, schoolchildren across the country participated in cleanup activities and wove camouflage nets. According to the Vyorstka media outlet, by 12:00 p.m. Moscow time, at least 30 schools from different regions had posted congratulatory messages. In many of the videos, students were positioned in front of portraits of Putin and made to speak about the "significant achievements" of Russia "under his leadership."

In Irkutsk, parents of schoolchildren are being asked to co-finance the launch of a drone assembly club.

Miscellaneous

In Saint Petersburg, lawmakers have drafted a bill that would allow authorities to conceal the addresses and incomes of participants in the war against Ukraine during elections. Under the proposed legislation, these individuals would still be required to submit income and residency information, like other candidates, but this data would not be displayed on public information boards. The authors of the bill claim that this measure would protect war participants from fraudsters working for "unfriendly countries" and members of election commissions "influenced by foreign powers."

Longreads

A report by The Port media outlet reveals how Russian citizens are being set up for criminal charges. Russian law enforcement had a long-standing practice of using provocateurs, even before the invasion. With the onset of the full-scale war, the number of such operations has sharply increased, with new charges such as treason, terrorism, extremism and sabotage becoming more common. Journalists outline the tactics law enforcement may use and who typically falls victim to these operations.