Mobilization in Russia for Oct. 6-8, 2023 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov suggested that Vladimir Putin should be the only candidate in the upcoming Russian presidential election, scheduled for March 2024, or it should be canceled altogether, due to the ongoing "special military operation."
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
The Nastoyashchiy Tomsk [True Tomsk] Telegram channel reports that local authorities are planning to train 14 people in the "organization and conduct of mobilization." The authorities expect the course to last 72 hours, cost 351,000 rubles [$3,481], and provide participants with "solid knowledge and practical skills" by Dec. 1.
Mobilized Soldiers and Volunteer Fighters
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Mikhail Shunin from the Nizhny Novgorod region, Kirill Yudaev from the Ryazan region, and Kongar-ool Tospan-ool from Russia’s constituent republic of Tyva.
Ivan Chuvilyaev from the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel spoke about an increasing number of Russian servicemen who either desert or seek a legitimate way of returning home from the frontline. Since the end of April 2023, professional soldiers serving on a contract basis have been granted leave permits, and many of them do not return from leave. A steady increase in the number of cases brought to court on charges of AWOL and desertion clearly manifests this trend. Mobilized soldiers, according to Chuvilyaev, are not granted leave, being told matter-of-factly that there is no rotation plan, and that they would remain on active duty until the war ends or until they are killed, whichever comes first.
More and more appeals are being made on social media by families of Russian military members, revealing that wounded soldiers are left to die on the battlefields. The Vot Tak [Like This] media outlet reported how Russian soldiers occupying forward positions struggle to survive, why the command takes no efforts to save them, and how poorly medical care is organized on the frontline.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
An object resembling a grenade was found in the city of Kirov during a community cleanup event on Oct. 7. The origin of the object is unknown. The event participants called the police.
In Chelyabinsk, a 68-year-old woman attempted to set fire to the regional draft office. She placed a bottle with an incendiary mixture under the door, but her actions were noticed by a traffic police officer who was a few meters away. He extinguished the flames and detained the arsonist. Later, the elderly woman revealed that she had been compelled to come to the draft office by "FSB (the Federal Security Service) officers," who had previously persuaded her to sell her apartment and take out a loan. A criminal case on arson charges is being prepared against the woman; however, she is not expected to be charged with terrorism as she had been victimized by fraudsters.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has put Lieutenant Ivan Korolyov of the RuAF, who fled to Lithuania, on the wanted list. The MIA's wanted list does not specify the particular article of the Criminal Code under which he is being pursued. According to Korolyov himself, he was not in Ukraine after the start of the invasion. In August, Korolyov gave an interview to BBC News Russian, in which he revealed that on Aug. 3, he fled from Russia to Lithuania and sought political asylum to avoid participating in the war against Ukraine.
Assistance
During the weekly meeting, the government of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject] approved changes to the regional budget for the year 2023 and the planned period of 2024-2025. Part of the new revenue will be allocated for monthly allowances to "special military operation" participants and their families.
Children
In the Primorsky region [Russia's federal subject], as part of events aimed at providing career guidance for schoolchildren, military personnel from the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and the 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade organized a field kitchen and a military-patriotic exhibition for children.
Miscellaneous
In Samara, disabled military personnel are forced to use the road because of the lack of ramps near the military hospital, including when going to the grocery store. Local residents have reported that officials promised to begin the work on Oct. 2, but the ramps have still not been installed.
A memorial plaque was opened in the town of Ust-Ilimsk in honor of Daniil Trofimov, a conscript soldier killed in Ukraine. Ruslan Zinin, who shot the local military commissar, claimed that he committed the crime under the influence of his school friend's death. However, Olga Posnitskaya, Daniil Trofimov's mother, informed investigators that her son did not know Zinin. Zinin’s case is currently being heard by the First Eastern District Military Court, with the next court session scheduled for Oct. 9.
In Tyumen, a four-year-old disabled child and his parents were denied boarding a plane. Instead, two young ladies were allowed to board, claiming they were "going to the special military operation" and that being late would classify them as deserters. There were four seats available on the plane, but there were five passengers with tickets: a family of three and two young ladies. The family with the child was heading to Moscow for a medical appointment for the boy, who had undergone complex surgery two weeks prior. Later, the family learned that the airline had marked them as no-shows for the flight. After the incident was made public, the Transport Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation.