Mobilization in Russia for Oct. 9-12, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Army Recruitment
In the Leningrad region, payments for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense have been increased from 1.7 million rubles [$20,900] to 2.0 million rubles [$24,600]. Those departing for the war from the region will also receive a land certificate, which grants the right to a land plot or a monetary compensation upon completion of service, currently amounting to 419,600 rubles [$5,160]. An additional 400,000 rubles [$4,920] is paid by the national government.
In the Tambov region, the sign-up bonus for signing a contract with the MoD was raised from 1.1 million rubles [$13,500], set in July of this year, to 2.6 million rubles [$32,000]; taking into account the national component, the total bonus now reaches 3.0 million rubles [$36,900]. The payment will remain in effect until the end of the current year.
Authorities in the city of Belgorod introduced a payment of 500,000 rubles [$6,150] for signing a contract with the MoD. It will be valid from Oct. 10 to Dec. 31, 2025, and only residents of the region who sign their contracts in Belgorod will be eligible. Thus, including both the national and regional payments (400,000 rubles each), a person signing a contract in Belgorod can receive a total of 1.3 million rubles [$16,000].
The governor of the Ryazan region Pavel Malkov approved paying law enforcement officers rewards of 92,000 rubles [$1,130] for each Russian volunteer they recruit to fight in the war against Ukraine, a measure effective until at least the end of 2025. This incentive extends to personnel from a wide range of law enforcement and security agencies, including the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Penitentiary Service, the Federal Bailiff Service, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Security Service and Rosgvardia [Russian National Guard]. Previously, Malkov introduced rewards of 574,700 rubles [$7,070] for recruiting citizens from non-CIS countries.
The Baza Telegram channel asserts that with the full-scale launch of the digital Draft Register, Russian authorities have blocked many citizens from leaving the country. According to the news outlet, users of the Gosuslugi public services portal usually receive a notification around 6 a.m., and a restriction on leaving the country takes effect from that moment. However, human rights advocates interviewed by the Astra Telegram channel and the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet say they have not yet observed widespread cases of potential conscripts being denied permission to cross the border. Since the register began operating, only one confirmed case of a travel ban has been recorded, and human rights activists report that they have not received any related appeals from draftees. The activists added that "there were inquiries from those who received a digital draft notice, but a travel ban was not imposed on them."
In the Rostov region, a 26-year-old man named Eldor, who was under investigation for lewd acts involving a schoolgirl, will be sent to the war in exchange for release from punishment.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Using open-source data, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], in collaboration with BBC News Russian and a team of volunteers, has identified 135,100 Russian soldiers killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including 15,234 mobilized men. Over the past week, the list has grown by 975 names, 38 of whom were mobilized.
A court in Kazakhstan has given mobilized soldier Igor Sandzhiev, who twice fled his military unit, a suspended sentence for illegally crossing the border. Sandzhiev was mobilized in September 2022 and sent to Volgograd for military training. Two months later, describing himself as a pacifist, he deserted. In January 2023, he traveled to Belarus, but was detained by the KGB and handed over to Russia. In Moscow, police arrested him because he was on a national wanted list in a criminal case for alleged assault. According to Sandzhiev, the case was fabricated by a stranger to justify adding him to the list. He was returned to his military unit, where his passport and phone were confiscated. Shortly afterward, he managed to escape again, crossing illegally into Kazakhstan, where he applied for political asylum. However, Kazakh authorities sentenced him to six years of probation for the illegal border crossing. In April 2023, Russia opened a new criminal case against him for going AWOL, and he is now on an international wanted list. Russia is seeking his extradition. Meanwhile, Sandzhiev’s relatives, former colleagues, neighbors and acquaintances have been summoned en masse for questioning and forced to write statements explaining their connection to him. They have also been threatened with criminal charges for maintaining contact.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
A contract soldier has been sentenced to seven and a half years in a penal colony for three instances of going AWOL from his military unit. In April 2024, after his leave, the soldier decided not to return to his unit. He stayed home for over two months until he was detained by his fellow soldiers in June. In July, the contract soldier was sent for rehabilitation to a health resort, but never arrived there. At the end of October, he was detained again. In early 2025, the man was granted a two-day leave, after which he failed to report to his unit again. For nearly two and a half months, he was at home until he was detained by employees of the military commandant's office in April.
In Saint Petersburg, a war veteran has been reported to be harassing his neighbors. According to them, the man returned from the frontline in winter after being injured. Recently, they have been observing him on his balcony regularly engaging in heated conversations with an "invisible" woman. He also scattered broken glass on the parking lot in front of the house and on the children's playground, claiming he was trying to deter dogs that were marking his car. Earlier, the man had thrown airsoft grenades from his balcony due to a dispute with neighbors over a parking spot. He was fined 15,000 rubles [$185] for hooliganism.
In Saint Petersburg, one local resident and three individuals from the Pskov region have been detained on suspicion of fraud. According to investigators, the suspects assisted people who had previously been denied contracts with the MoD in enlisting—for a fee—through their alleged connections at a local draft office. Those who enlisted using forged documents were issued bank cards to receive payments. However, the fraudsters kept the cards, promising to return them after deducting a commission for their services, but instead transferred all the funds to their own accounts. Approximately 40 people were affected, some of whom have already been killed on the frontline. The total damage is estimated at 80 million rubles [$984,000].
A court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced 32-year-old Ukrainian serviceman Vitaliy Kostiuchenko, a member of the Azov Brigade, to 18 years in a penal colony on charges of involvement in a terrorist organization and training for terrorist activities. Details of the case remain undisclosed. In Ukraine, Kostiuchenko has been listed as missing in action since September 2022, and his case entered court review in June of this year.
A girl from Orel has been placed in a pre-trial detention center on charges of treason. According to investigators, the alleged crime took place before she reached the age of majority. Neither the case specifics nor the defendant's personal information is being released.
Every fifth new politically motivated criminal case during the third quarter of 2025—about 21 percent—was opened on the charge of state treason, according to a new report by the human rights project Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial. The project analyzed court statistics, data from law enforcement agencies and information from defendants and their families, concluding that at least 100 treason cases are currently underway. Such cases are most often linked to alleged contacts or financial transfers with Ukrainians, the report said. Many of them appear to bear the hallmarks of provocations or staged operations by Russian intelligence services. Charges related to terrorist attacks and calls for terrorism each accounted for another 17 percent of new cases, while charge with participation in a terrorist organization made up about 10 percent. Altogether, more than 500 new political prosecutions were launched each quarter this year across internationally recognized Russian regions—roughly five new cases every day.
Assistance
In Chuvashia [Russia’s constituent republic] local authorities have introduced new one-time payments for soldiers wounded in the war against Ukraine. Severely injured servicemen will receive 300,000 rubles [$3,690], while those with light injuries will get 150,000 rubles [$1,830]. Soldiers who sustained other injuries not covered by federal guidelines will receive 50,000 rubles [$610]. The regional government also announced monthly stipends of 2,500 rubles [$31] for family members of soldiers participating in the invasion.
In Bashkortostan, Labor Minister Lenara Ivanova said that nearly 73 percent of the 2,400 servicemen from the region who returned from the war have since found employment.
Longreads
The Sibir.Realii, part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, online media outlet reports that Russian officials and lawmakers who have committed crimes are evading punishment by signing fictitious contracts with the MoD and falsely claiming participation in combat.
Sibir.Realii also prepared a report on the challenges faced by wounded veterans: soldiers who lost limbs on the front line remain stuck in lengthy queues for prosthetics.
Lawyers who cooperated with the Wagner Group told the independent media outlet Bumaga [Paper] about the fate of convicts recruited from penal colonies and the circumstances in which some of them committed new crimes.
The Vyorstka media outlet reports that preschools across Russia are opening cadet groups, inducting kindergartners as "cadets" in at least 57 localities across 26 regions of the country.