Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 17-19, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] has approved in the first reading a bill that would allow the suspension of criminal proceedings during wartime, martial law or mobilization for defendants who sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense to participate in the war. Moreover, the State Duma passed another bill in the first reading to allow defendants to sign contracts at the trial stage. According to the proposed changes, criminal cases could be dropped altogether if defendants receive a state award or are discharged from military service due to age, health, the end of the mobilization period or the lifting of martial law. Previously, only convicted individuals or defendants whose cases had not yet been brought to trial could avoid punishment by signing contracts with the MoD to fight in the war.
Kaluga region authorities have introduced fines for sharing footage of Ukrainian drones or the aftermath of their strikes. To that end, they added an article on "disobeying the decisions of the governor and the operations control center" to the regional law on misdemeanors. The new article stipulates fines of 4,000 rubles [$43] for individuals, 40,000 rubles [$430] for office holders and 100,000 rubles [$1,080] for legal entities.
Authorities and Relatives of Mobilized Soldiers
Members of the Put Domoy [Way Home] movement of mobilized soldiers’ wives have called on supporters to mark the second anniversary of the mobilization declaration by playing the song "Demobilization" by the Sektor Gaza punk rock band at noon on Sept. 21, whether at home, in their car or on the street.
It is worth noting that former Put Domoy member Paulina Safronova recently announced a new rally by relatives of mobilized soldiers to demand the return of their loved ones. This rally is also scheduled for Sept. 21 and should take place in front of the Ministry of Defense building. However, as Safronova later wrote, the day after the announcement, law enforcement officers visited the workplace of one of the women planning to attend the rally and issued her a warning against participating in unauthorized gatherings.
Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising
The Draft Register website for Russia’s new digital military draft system has been rolled out and is currently being tested in three Russian regions, namely, the Ryazan and Sakhalin regions and the Republic of Mari El [Russia's constituent republic]. The homepage lays out the system’s objectives, provides instructions on how to log in to one’s personal account and explains how draft notices are delivered and what effects a failure to duly report to the draft office will have. Citizens can sign in using their existing credentials for the Gosuslugi public services portal. Artyom Klyga, head of the legal department of the human rights organization Movement of Conscientious Objectors, believes this release is not final, as the digital Unified Military Register is not yet completed. However, the test launch may as well be followed by a fully-functional release of the digital register, at least in some Russian regions, by Nov. 1 as planned.
- Elena Popova, coordinator of the Movement of Conscientious Objectors, provided advice concerning the current conscription campaign enhanced by the digital register.
- Grigory Sverdlin, head of the Idite Lesom! [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] project explained how the digital system will operate and what can be done upon receiving a digital draft notice in order to avoid being conscripted. The project also provides instructions on how to apply for alternative civilian service.
- The Vyorstka media outlet provided useful tips on how to avoid being conscripted.
- The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel advised against checking one’s own status in the digital draft register.
The Draft Register website requires users to install a TLS certificate from MinTsifry [the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia] "for a secure connection to the site." However, a technical expert from Roskomsvoboda told Vyorstka that this could enable government agencies to "listen in" on traffic. According to him, the requirement to install such a certificate is "purely manipulative," and the primary purpose of state certification centers is to have the "ability to issue fake certificates to intercept traffic." While it is likely that not all traffic is tracked, sites of particular interest to the state are more likely to be monitored.
As reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta], a cybersecurity expert has identified a serious vulnerability on the Draft Register website that allows access to personal information about any citizen. To retrieve the data, one only needs to know the user's identifier on the Gosuslugi portal. The service itself does not check whether the user is requesting information about themselves or someone else. Two hours after the news broke, MinTsifry and Rostelecom declared that the vulnerability on the Draft Register website did not exist. However, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the service has since updated its system to verify that the requested ID matches the authorized user, meaning that users can now only request information about themselves.
In the city of Yekaterinburg, the United Russia party [Putin’s ruling party] has introduced payments of 50,000 rubles [$540] to those who successfully recruit a friend to sign up for the war. To participate, one must first find a suitable candidate and submit their details via the designated phone number. The candidate is then accompanied to a community center, and upon signing a contract with the MoD, the recruiter receives the payment in their account. Meanwhile, Russia’s constituent Republic of Tatarstan advertises contract military service via SMS, offering potential recruits 2 million rubles [$21,600], training and the option to choose their military unit.
Aleksandr Sytov, the former head of the administration of the Tselinny district in the Kurgan region, has signed a contract with the MoD and joined the war effort. In May 2024, a court sentenced Sytov to seven years in prison on charges of bribery, fraud and embezzlement. Among other things, Sytov was accused of embezzling 100,000 rubles [$1,080] intended for assistance for mobilized soldiers.
Furthermore, in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], Aleksandr Shcherbakov, the former chief sanitary doctor of the city of Nefteyugansk, who was accused of accepting bribes from the director of a private kindergarten, has been deployed to the war. Shcherbakov has already signed a contract with the MoD, and the investigation of criminal cases against him is expected to be suspended soon.
Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers
The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Dmitry Shevchenko from the Belgorod region and Aleksandr Yakimenko from the Smolensk region.
A 41-year-old serviceman of the 33rd Regiment, Grigory Kotovsky, who signed a contract with the MoD three months ago "in memory of his grandfather," reported that due to a conflict with the command, he was reassigned to assault troops, despite previously serving as a UAV operator. Kotovsky mentioned that he was being sent on an assault mission in an evacuation unit, after which he stopped communicating. Following this, his wife began receiving notifications from the bank about failed attempts to access the banking app from her husband's phone. Kotovsky's relatives have since contacted the Military Prosecutor's Office.
Former convict and member of the Storm-V unit, Stanislav Vitort, was detained by military police after posting a video in which he stated that the command intended to send him on an assault mission despite his inability to move without crutches. This occurred after his wife contacted the prosecutor's office. According to Vitort's wife, who spoke to the ASTRA Telegram channel, he was thrown into a pit in handcuffs, beaten, and had his crutches broken. On Sept. 4, he was sent to the frontline, and he last made contact on Sept. 15. Fellow soldiers believe he is most likely already dead.
Pavel Zhuravlyov, 34, from the Krasnoyarsk region, who serves in the assault company of the 217th Parachute Regiment of the 98th Division, complained about abuse from his commanding officers. After detecting the smell of alcohol on Zhuravlyov, who was recovering from a wound, the battalion's deputy for political affairs handcuffed him to a tree for four days. During this time, he beat Zhuravlyov, prevented him from sitting, deprived him of food and sleep, and caused him to suffer from hallucinations.
Serviceman Konstantin Pavlov has appealed to the governor of the Samara region, complaining about the lack of compensation for his injuries. Pavlov signed the contract on May 6 of last year and has since sustained four injuries. However, instead of receiving the payments he is owed—including 3.5 million rubles [$37,800] for a moderate injury—Pavlov claims that he has only received a one-time sign-up bonus for entering into the contract.
Aleksandr Zhukov, a mobilized soldier from Vladimir region, has been unable to obtain payments from the MoD. He spent one month in Ukraine as part of the 346th Regiment, where he sustained shrapnel wounds and was demobilized in 2022. Zhukov received only a "presidential" payment of 3 million rubles [$32,400]; other amounts were withheld because his injury did not qualify for insurance payouts.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In the Krasnodar region, a court has sentenced Semyon Nevmerzhitsky, a previously convicted war participant, to six years and three months in a penal colony for attempting to kill his civilian wife at a police station. In a drunken state, Nevmerzhitsky arrived at the station and, upon seeing his wife providing testimony about his systematic abuse of her underage stepdaughter and threats of physical harm, he attacked her four times with a knife to her face and neck. The station officer intervened, saving the woman. Despite being forgiven by the victim, who requested a suspended sentence, Nevmerzhitsky was sentenced as described.
In the Amur region, a court has sentenced Oleg Pastukhov, a 50-year-old former mercenary of the Wagner Group, to seven years in a penal colony for intentionally causing grievous bodily harm that resulted in accidental death. Pastukhov had previously been convicted multiple times for theft, grievous bodily harm and death threats. In December 2022, he joined the Wagner Group after being released from the penal colony. When delivering the verdict, the court took into account Pastukhov's participation in the war and the jealousy-driven nature of the incident.
According to ASTRA, 26-year-old Nikolay Aryapkin, a participant in the invasion of Ukraine, has been detained in Dimitrovgrad on suspicion of stabbing a local resident. Aryapkin had previously been convicted multiple times for theft. His most recent sentence was two years and two months in a maximum security penal colony, where he signed a contract with the MoD. He returned to his hometown on leave due to an injury.
On Sept. 13, in the Irkutsk region, Warrant officer Rogalyov opened indiscriminate fire near one of the cadet corps buildings, where teenagers were located at the time, and threw a training grenade into the barracks. As a result, two cadets were injured. Preliminary reports suggest that Rogalyov was intoxicated. The next day, he took sick leave and has not returned since. The Investigative Committee of the Irkutsk region has initiated an investigation.
In Abakan, a contract soldier has been sentenced to eight years in a penal colony for going AWOL. According to the court, the soldier left his unit twice for several months. Initially charged with desertion, the defendant denied that he intentionally sought to evade service, claiming he voluntarily returned to his unit and was ready to continue serving. During the court proceedings, the charges were reclassified to going AWOL.
Serviceman Maksim Grigoryev has been sentenced to two years and six months of probation for two instances of going AWOL.
Two mobilized soldiers from the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania [Russia's constituent republic], Aleksandr Grechishkin and Aleksey Yefanov have been sentenced to two years and three months in a penal settlement for refusing to go to war against Ukraine. Both Grechishkin and Yefanov declined to be deployed to the frontline, citing the need for medical treatment and examination.
In the occupied city of Mariupol, a criminal case of large-scale corruption has been initiated against 57-year-old Colonel Yevgeny Luzhbin. According to investigators, he allegedly received at least 1 million rubles [$10,800] in bribes from his subordinates for various violations during a year. ASTRA reports that Luzhbin commanded the motorized rifle battalion of the 1465th Regiment and reportedly threatened subordinates with being sent to assault units if they refused to pay bribes. Additionally, ASTRA notes that in 2018, Luzhbin was already tried for unjust enrichment after receiving military pay for four years following his discharge into the reserves.
The Southern District Military Court has sentenced two men for allegedly preparing to blow up a vehicle belonging to a Federal Security Service (FSB) officer in Kerch, as well as for gathering information on Crimea's railway infrastructure and the movements of Russian forces. According to ASTRA, Artur Agasyan from annexed Crimea, was sentenced to 20 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of "high treason," "preparing an act of terror" and "trafficking in explosives." Additionally, another man, Aleksey Vasyutin from the Krasnodar region, received a six-year sentence in a maximum security penal colony for illegal acquisition, storage and trafficking in explosives.
The FSB has detained a resident of Berdsk who allegedly planned to carry out a terrorist attack at an "administrative facility" in the Belgorod region. The detainee’s name has not been disclosed. It is claimed that he established contact with representatives of a "Ukrainian armed group banned in Russia" and, under their instructions, acquired an explosive device.
Additionally, the FSB detained a resident of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on suspicion of treason. According to law enforcement, the man was transferring cryptocurrency intended for the purchase of "weapons, ammunition and equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
A former employee of the Belgorod regional administration, accused of planning a terrorist attack allegedly ordered from Ukraine, claimed she was framed by her ex-husband. Law enforcement officers also detained Artyom Kholodkov, who turned out to be her ex-husband's childhood friend.
Maksim Antipin, a resident of the Kursk region, reported that FSB officers tortured him with electric shocks and demanded that he inform on acquaintances who had left the country. Antipin claimed to have endured two "carousel arrests" for filming near the FSB building. He shared more details of his ordeal with SOTAvision.
Igor Baryshnikov, a political prisoner from Kaliningrad sentenced to seven and a half years for spreading "fake news" about the military, was scheduled for a court hearing on the same day he was supposed to undergo a necessary medical examination for surgery.
Assistance
In the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, "Purity Seals"—amulets from the Warhammer 40k universe—were consecrated for shipment to the frontline by order of a popular military gear brand.
Children and Educational System
In the Arkhangelsk region, Vitaly Gavrin, a participant in the war with Ukraine who has been repeatedly convicted of robbery, extortion, evading child support payments, theft and fraud, was invited to speak at a school. He told the children about "the necessity of serving in the army, love for the Motherland and fulfilling one’s duty to the people."
In Moscow, a comic book titled "The Special Military Operation: True Stories," allegedly based on the stories of Russian soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine, was presented. The authors of the comic are Maksim Grigoriev, a participant in the invasion and a member of Russia's Civic Chamber, and science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko. The comic is planned to be shown to high school students.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels have launched a social media campaign aimed at intimidating teenagers with the threat of long prison sentences for setting fire to objects displaying the "Z" symbol and infrastructure facilities.