Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 21-23, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary
Authorities and Legislation
The Russian government endorsed a bill that would strip individuals of their acquired citizenship for evading military registration. Under the proposed legislation, foreigners who become citizens must register for military service. The deadline to register is two weeks for in-person applications and seven days for those filed through the Gosuslugi public services portal. Authorities will classify any new citizen who fails to register or respond to a draft notice within the established timeframe as a draft dodger. The draft office will then have five days to send its findings to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. To reverse the decision, an individual must appear in person at the draft office within 30 days. While endorsing the bill, the government indicated that it requires further refinement. It recommended that the grounds for revoking citizenship also include existing convictions for "certain crimes."
Army Recruitment
For the first time in 15 years, authorities have detained a conscript seeking the right to alternative civilian service. For a year and a half, Krasnoyarsk philology student Aleksey Pchelenok attempted to exercise his right to alternative service, submitting applications to the military enlistment office, the prosecutor's office, and the human rights ombudsman. Instead of reviewing his requests, however, authorities opened a criminal case for draft evasion against him in April 2024. According to the human rights organization Soldiers' Mothers of Saint Petersburg, the investigator violated procedural norms, applied pressure, and tried to secure a confession. Authorities detained Pchelenok on Sept. 15 following a meeting with a military prosecutor, and on Sept. 17, a court granted the investigation's request for his arrest; he is now in a pre-trial detention center. Human rights advocates call the case unprecedented, emphasizing that such cases typically result in fines because the law does not prescribe prison sentences.
Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, deputy chief of the Main Organizational-Mobilizational Directorate of the General Staff, announced that the autumn conscription campaign will run from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, using the Unified Military Register—a digital system that identifies Russian citizens subject to military service—and that electronic draft notices will be used to inform conscripts. According to Tsimlyansky, certain categories of deferments will be granted without requiring conscripts to appear in person if sufficient information is available in the state information system. The ministry does not intend to abandon paper notices, which remain legally binding. Human‑rights observers quoted by the independent media outlet Agentstvo [Agency] indicated that electronic draft notices will be widely employed during the autumn conscription campaign, though not in all regions. During the briefing, Tsimlyansky also presented the results of the spring 2025 conscription, stating that 160,000 draftees had been sent to the armed forces.
Indian citizen Rakesh Kumar, who arrived in Saint Petersburg on a student visa, told his relatives that he was compelled to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense and sent to fight in Ukraine. The 30‑year‑old entered Russia on Aug. 7, 2025, and, on Aug. 30, informed his brother that he was being forcibly conscripted into the Russian army. His family later received a photograph of Kumar in military uniform; subsequently he called from an unfamiliar Russian number, saying his passport and other documents had been taken and his email account deleted. After signing the contract, Kumar said he underwent training in the Donbas region. He then ceased communication, prompting his family to seek assistance from Indian authorities. According to The Times of India, at least 20 Indian nationals have recently reported being deceived into traveling to Russia under the pretext of education or work and then forced to join the Russian army.
On Sept. 22 in Russia's constituent republic of Buryatia, draft office officials together with police carried out a raid on a local organization, distributing summons "for verification of registration data." According to the Idite Lesom [Flee through the woods/Get lost you all] Telegram channel, the men who arrived at the draft office were questioned about their marital status, registered address, children and driver’s license, and were then released.
Deputies of the State Council of Udmurtia [Russia's constituent republic] approved amendments to the regional budget that will increase the government’s reserve fund by 1.9 billion rubles [$22.72 million]. The money will be used to finance regional bonus payments for signing contracts with the MoD. Currently, each contract payment amounts to 400,000 rubles [$4,780]. This means the additional funds will cover payouts for 4,750 new recruits. The regional budget deficit stands at 2.9 billion rubles [$34.68 million].
Former customs post chief Aleksandr Aleev, who was sentenced in December 2024 to 10 years for accepting large-scale and especially large-scale bribes, avoided serving his sentence by going to war. In 2024, he was found guilty of taking more than 2.4 million rubles [$28,700] and $22,000 in exchange for expediting the customs clearance of excisable goods and vehicles.
Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts
Sabir Akhmedov, who had been sentenced to 19 years in a maximum security prison for murder and fraud, has been awarded the Order of Courage. In 2019, Akhmedov shot and killed Orel resident Denis Matievsky with an assault rifle during a personal conflict. He also headed a construction company that built a residential building that failed to meet housing standards. Of his 19-year sentence, he served only two years before being sent to the frontline, where he has now received a state award.
Pavel Podgrushniy, a participant in the war with Ukraine who lost an eye and his hearing due to an injury, is being redeployed to the combat zone. In September 2023, the man was driving under the influence of alcohol and fatally struck a cyclist and his 9-year-old passenger. Podgrushniy was sentenced to eight years and four months in a penal colony. There, at the end of 2023, he signed a contract with the MoD. In April 2024, he suffered a serious injury. Since late May, Podgrushniy has been undergoing medical treatment and has been assigned the fitness category "G" (temporarily unfit for military service). However, on Aug. 29, he was ordered to return to the frontline by Sept. 2, despite being unable to walk without assistance. On the appointed day, Podgrushny did not report to his unit, thereby being declared AWOL.
A court in Moscow has fined Lidiya Nekrasova (Yegorova), the mother of a mobilized soldier, 33,000 rubles [$390] for a solitary protest. On Sept. 21, the anniversary of the start of mobilization, she came close to the building of the Ministry of Defense and was detained. Nekrasova was charged with a misdemeanor and fined 30,000 rubles [$360] for discrediting the Armed Forces, as well as 3,000 rubles [$36] for disobeying a police officer's demands. Before the trial, the woman was detained at a police station for two days with no communication or access to a lawyer.
Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents
In Magnitogorsk, a court has sentenced a war participant to two years in a penal settlement for threatening violence against representatives of the authorities. According to the court, in May 2025, while on leave, the intoxicated serviceman attacked his ex-wife. He confronted the arriving police officers with two knives, ignored their pleas and a warning shot. Law enforcement officers then wounded him in the legs and detained him.
The Novosibirsk Garrison Military Court has sentenced serviceman Denis Gromov to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of a fatal accident. At the same time, the court is considering another case against Gromov—for desertion during combat operations. The man had previously been repeatedly convicted. In 2012, Gromov was sentenced to 21 years of imprisonment for the high-profile murder of Novosibirsk resident Kristina Durayeva.
A court has found a participant in the war in Ukraine, Stanislav K., guilty of threatening violence against a representative of the authorities. The judge took into account that the accused is participating in the "special military operation" and limited the punishment to a fine of 10,000 rubles [$120].
The Southern District Military Court sentenced Roman Ataman, a 31-year-old senior sergeant of the Azov Brigade, to 20 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of participation in a terrorist community and training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity. Ataman was taken prisoner in the city of Mariupol.
The "Supreme Court of the DPR," created by Russian occupation authorities, has since 2024 convicted at least 181 Ukrainian service members of "abuse of POW [prisoner of war] or civilians," according to a tally by the Vyorstka media outlet. According to the case registry, the court issued at least 102 sentences — in some cases there were multiple defendants. These figures are not reflected in Russian judicial statistics: according to the Judicial Department, in 2023 there were no convictions under this article, and in 2024 only two people. In addition to the article on the use of prohibited methods of waging war, defendants are also charged with other crimes — mainly murder and attempted murder, as well as deliberate damage to others’ property. The texts of the verdicts are not published on the website of the court; according to Russian law enforcement, Ukrainian servicemen are being sentenced to lengthy terms, including life imprisonment.
A court in Moscow placed a 15-year-old in custody on suspicion of committing a terrorist attack. According to investigators, on Sept. 16 the teenager set fire to a relay cabinet between the Biryulyovo-Tovarnaya and Chertanovo stations. He allegedly recorded his actions on his phone. Investigators also say the teenager acted for "a small monetary reward," offered by a previously unknown person via a messaging app.
A man born in 1992 has been detained in Saint Petersburg on terrorist attack charges, accused of setting fire to a cell phone tower in the nearby town of Toksovo. According to law enforcement, the suspect was acting under the direction of "Ukrainian handlers." In the early hours of Sept. 1, the man reportedly doused the structure with a flammable liquid before igniting it. A court has ordered his placement in a pre-trial detention center.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported the detention of a father and son from Russia’s Samara region. The men, born in 1970 and 1992, were charged with illegally trafficking explosives and explosive devices. Authorities are also investigating the pair for high treason, sabotage, and participation in a terrorist organization. According to investigators, the younger suspect allegedly traveled abroad in 2022 and made contact with a representative of Ukrainian intelligence. He is said to have "expressed readiness to cooperate on a gratuitous basis by preparing and committing acts of terror and sabotage" within Russia. Upon returning, he reportedly "recruited his father, who shared his anti-Russian views." The FSB claims the two were responsible for multiple attacks between 2023 and 2025, including the bombing of a gas pipeline in the Syzran district, the destruction of two railway bridges over the Chapaevka and Samara rivers, and the assembly and delivery of an IED used to blow up a transformer substation at the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery. The suspects were arrested earlier this year while allegedly preparing to target another bridge over the Samara River. During the arrest, the younger man reportedly stabbed himself in the stomach with a knife. Video footage confirms he is currently hospitalized.
The Southern District Military Court sentenced Anton Bondarenko, a resident of the self-proclaimed "DPR," to 16 years and six months in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason and calls for terrorism. Bondarenko was arrested on November 20, 2023. According to law enforcement officers, on March 4, 2024, he wrote an online comment calling for "incitement to terrorist activities." The platform the post was made on is unknown, as well what was actually in the post itself. Furthermore, it is alleged that Bondarenko established contact with representatives of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) and sent them information about Russian military vehicles located in Horlivka and the Horlivka district 14 times between May and September 2023.
The District Military Court in Yekaterinburg sentenced 50-year-old Aleksey Belozersky to 14 years in prison on charges of committing a terrorist attack. According to the court, in August 2023, Belozersky, shouting "Glory to the Kraken!," threw three Molotov cocktails at the draft office building in Yekaterinburg. The fire was quickly extinguished. Afterwards, the man went to the police himself and reported that he had been the victim of fraudsters who had convinced him to take out a loan for 5.5 million rubles ($65,800) and transfer most of the money to them. They then forced Belozersky to set fire to the draft office, calling it a "special military operation" by the FSB, after which he would get his money back. Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] reports on Belozersky's case in detail.
The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court sentenced 23-year-old local resident Vladimir Markin to 12 years in a maximum security penal colony on charges of treason. The FSB announced Markin’s detention on March 12, but at the time did not disclose his full name. In a recording released by security services, Markin said he opposed the president’s decision to launch the invasion of Ukraine and therefore decided to support the Freedom of Russia Legion. According to him, he made two cryptocurrency transfers intended for the group’s purchase of drones.
Assistance
Separately, the State Assembly of Bashkortostan introduced a bill that would allow the regional government to determine the size and procedure of payments to families of soldiers and members of Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] killed in service. Under the current version of the law, families are entitled to material assistance of 2 million rubles [$23,900], divided equally among relatives. The new proposal removes the fixed amount, leaving the sum to the discretion of the government.
Children and Militarization
In a small Siberian school with just 18 students, authorities have opened a "patriotic education" classroom equipped with drones, a virtual reality headset, and rifles. According to the regional Pravda Severa [Truth of North] outlet, the Ministry of Regional Development provided a grant for the initiative, though the amount was not disclosed.
Miscellaneous
Vladimir Evsyukov, a participant in the war in Ukraine, won a seat in the Voronezh Regional Duma on United Russia’s party list. He almost immediately declined the mandate in favor of fellow United Russia member Vladislav Novomlinsky, the grandson of former regional governor Ivan Shabanov.
Longreads
Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta] released a report on Russia’s defense sector showing that in 2025, military enterprises sharply reduced hiring and, for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, salaries in the sector declined.
The Lyudi Baikala [People of Baikal] independent media outlet] published a story about a student training to become a "war correspondent." She became disillusioned with the conflict after visiting the Donbas.