Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 22-23, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Authorities may distribute digital draft notices in other regions beyond the pilot Ryazan and Sakhalin regions and the Republic of Mari El [Russia’s constituent republic], suggest activists from the Shkola Prizyvnika [Conscript School] human rights organization. The comment follows a statement that draft notices will be delivered traditionally during the fall conscription campaign, made by Andrey Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia], who also indicated that the register of Russians subject to military service, or Unified Military Register, will not become fully operational until by Jan. 1, 2025. Currently, authorities in Moscow are already distributing digital notices, although they have no legal force, and recipients are not obliged to respond to them.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel notes that, two years after mobilization began, no laws have been passed granting additional draft deferments. As of today, only two draft bills remain under consideration by the State Duma:

• One bill proposes raising the age limit of dependent children from 16 to 18 years, applicable to fathers of four or more children. The bill has not yet received either positive or negative feedback.
• The other bill seeks to demobilize men who are granted the status of a large family member. However, feedback from the reviewing committee suggests that draft exemptions for fathers of many children should be granted on a case-by-case basis, indicating that the bill is likely to be rejected.

At the same time, the State Duma members tend to think that expanding draft deferral eligibility criteria would negatively affect the staffing of the Russian Armed Forces. As a result, the introduction of new draft deferral categories is unlikely.

Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of the Krasnodar region, announced the lifting of the restrictions on entering the town of Tikhoretsk, home to a weapons depot recently attacked by Ukrainian drones. Meanwhile, on the evening of Sept. 21, the news emerged that authorities announced an emergency evacuation of residents of the Melenkovsky and Kirzhachsky districts. Although officials confirmed the evacuation, they declined to provide further details. According to the Astra Telegram channel, residents in these districts, located near the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported UAV attacks.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Authorities in Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic] have introduced a 505,000 rubles [$5,460] sign-up bonus for inmates agreeing to contracts with the MoD. Earlier, only volunteer fighters who signed contracts as "free men" were eligible for these payouts.

Meanwhile, in the Omsk region, authorities have introduced a one-time bonus of 5,000 rubles [$54] for anyone who brings a person to the enlistment office who then signs a contract for military service.

A court in Saint Petersburg has suspended the collection of over 43 million rubles [$465,300] from Andrey Shornikov, head of the Kirov district administration in the Leningrad region, after he signed a contract with the MoD and joined the war. Shornikov had been accused of bribery, extortion and embezzlement of public funds.

Pyotr Shamayev, the Youth Affairs Minister of Yakutia [Russia's constituent republic of Sakha (Yakutia)], has also gone to war. It was revealed back in August that he had signed a contract with the MoD and is expected to spend six months on the frontline. His duties will be taken over by war veteran Igor Yurgin. At 28, Yurgin earned the rank of major and commanded the Black Mamba assault unit, which, according to Dovod [independent Russian media outlet], includes convicts recruited from penal colonies. In the comments section of an article about his achievements, individuals claiming to be relatives of soldiers allege that he failed to evacuate the bodies of those he sent to certain death without adequate preparation. Yurgin returned from the war in April and completed the Time of Heroes personnel program.

In the village of Zubchaninovka in the Samara region, law enforcement officers have conducted a raid to identify former migrants evading military registration. As a result of the raid, 18 individuals were detained, charged with a misdemeanor and taken to a draft office for registration. Similar raids took place in the Novosibirsk region, where 25 foreigners were checked. Of those, 15 had recently obtained Russian citizenship and were forcibly transported to draft offices and registered for military service.

Mobilized Soldiers, Volunteer Fighters and Contract Soldiers

Maksim Avramenko, a conscript soldier who was captured in the Kursk region and later exchanged, has faced pressure following his mother's contact with the media. Previously, she reported that her son had not been in contact since the prisoners-of-war exchange. Now, the assistant commander for political affairs of Maksim's military unit claims that he is being interrogated for treason. According to his mother, the military unit in Klintsy, where Maksim is held, is described as a prison by conscripts, who complain of mistreatment from their fellow soldiers due to their return from captivity.

A 34-year-old mobilized soldier from the Kemerovo region, suffering from epilepsy and alcohol dependence, was detained by military police and held in a basement in Perevalsk for a week. The soldier’s wife said he had been diagnosed with alcoholic delirium and had already had five epileptic seizures since the beginning of this year, following a concussion.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Omsk, an ex-member of the riot police, who returned from the war zone about a year ago, was arrested for stabbing his ex-wife to death. The couple had two children, aged six years and 11 months. A criminal case for murder has been filed.

Aleksey Konstantinov, an ex-member of the Wagner Group, has been convicted to nine years of maximum security imprisonment for murdering his friend. During a drinking binge in a garage, the victim, also an ex-mercenary, told Konstantinov about his experience in a unit designated to execute deserters, drug addicts and other offenders, and admitted to killing such soldiers himself. This prompted Konstantinov to grab an ax and strike him nine times in the head. When reaching the verdict, the court found Konstantinov’s service in the war to be a mitigating factor.

The Stavropol Regional Court has sentenced Ruslan Guseynov, a previously repeatedly convicted participant in the war, to two years in a penal colony for assaulting a police officer. Guseynov was initially detained for hooliganism and failure to comply with lawful police orders. According to the official version, while taken outside to smoke, he struck a police officer in the face with his elbow out of "hostility toward a representative of the authorities," causing minor injury. Guseynov pleaded guilty but stated that the injured police officer had asked him about his service in the war and "said offensive things." Guseynov was likely recruited for the war from a penal colony.

Sergey Volovik from Novosibirsk has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment for desertion during the mobilization. Volovik left his unit in the "LPR" in February 2023 and returned to Novosibirsk, where. He was detained at the end of June 2024. In court, Volovik stated that he left the frontline out of fear for his life. The court took into account that he has a child and imposed the minimum sentence.

In Omsk, two 16-year-old schoolchildren broke into an airfield and set a Mil Mi-8 military helicopter on fire. The teenagers allegedly were promised $20,000 for the arson through Telegram. On the evening of Sept. 21, they threw a bottle containing an incendiary mixture at the Mi-8 helicopter and fled the scene. According to photos published by the Baza Telegram channel, which is associated with law enforcement, the teenagers were arrested during a search in one of the apartments.

The Vladimir Regional Court is hearing criminal cases on charges of attempted high treason and attempted illegal border crossing by a foreign citizen. The details of the case, as well as the identities of those involved, remain classified.

In Rostov-on-Don, a criminal case has been initiated against a local woman on charges of high treason for transferring funds to a Ukrainian acquaintance, according to the Federal Security Service [FSB]. Law enforcement claims that after the war began, the woman repeatedly sent money to the bank accounts of a Ukrainian citizen she had known before the war. The funds were allegedly used to purchase vehicles, military uniforms and equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including drones used in attacks on Russian territory. The woman has been detained.

In annexed Crimea, 27-year-old Ukrainian citizen Mikhail Sukhachov has been sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony on espionage charges. Investigators allege that Sukhachov provided Ukraine with information regarding the operations of Russian air defense units in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Mamut Belyalov, a 25-year-old resident of annexed Crimea, has been sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly plotting to assassinate Vadim Volchenko, the Russian-appointed Minister of Resorts and Tourism of the Republic of Crimea. Belyalov was detained in September 2022 in Feodosia. Law enforcement claims that a Glock pistol, ammunition and explosive devices were found in his possession.

Two wives of the mobilized, Anna Bogatchenko and Anastasia Slavik, were cited for participating in an "unauthorized protest." The women were detained on Saturday during a demonstration near the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow. Protest organizers claim they had notified officials in advance and received approval, which, in their view, made the demonstration authorized.

A Moscow court fined Aleksandra D., a first-year student at the Higher School of Economics, 40,000 rubles [$430] for "defamation of the Russian Army" after she spat on a poster promoting contract military service. The student claimed she was in a state of severe alcohol intoxication at the time.

Children and Educational System

As part of the "Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland" course, students in Russian schools have begun participating in military training, the Vyorstka media outlet reported. They are being trained in firearms, drill exercises, tactical and medical skills, shooting with air rifles and laser weapons and instruction on how to protect against bacteriological weapons.

Moscow city hall will allocate nearly 2 billion rubles [$21.64 million] for the purchase of drones for educational institutions. A tender for 1.7 billion rubles [$18.40 million] has been announced for the supply of drones to "support the educational process," with the Department of Education and Science as the customer. Authorities plan to develop drone production in Moscow within a year. Training in UAV operation will be integrated into the "Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland" course.

Radiy Khabirov, Governor of Bashkortostan, announced on his Telegram channel a patriotic event for 137 boys with disabilities. The children were introduced to military equipment and trained in assembling and disassembling assault rifles, weaving camouflage nets and creating "dry showers."

Assistance

The Perspective territorial public administration from Ulan-Ude won a grant of 250,000 rubles [$2,710], which will be used for producing camouflage nets.

Soelma Dagaeva, the Minister of Culture of Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic] reported that volunteers from Buryatia delivered 40 kg of minced meat to Saint Petersburg, along with fruits and flour purchased with their own funds for wounded soldiers.

Miscellaneous

Pavel Bezdenyezhnykh, a mobilized soldier from Irkutsk and member of the United Russia party [Putin’s ruling party],became a member of the Irkutsk City Duma. On his VKontakte page, he regularly talked about killed comrades, described the war as "incomprehensible" and called for "ending the bloodshed". Bezdenyezhnykh wrote that wounded soldiers are returned to the frontline. However, after being nominated for the election, he hid all previous posts of criticism, as noted by the Irkutsk Blog Telegram channel.

In Komi [Russia's constituent republic], participants in the war in Ukraine will be nominated for the elections to the State Council. This was reported by the region's head, Vladimir Uyba. According to the KomiLeaks Telegram channel, at least three candidates are being considered for inclusion in the upcoming convocation of the State Council.

Aleksey Smirnov, Governor of the Kursk region, reported that during the Russian Army’s counteroffensive since Sept. 10, 268 missing residents of border areas have been found, 118 of whom had been reported missing by their relatives. Since the beginning of the Ukrainian forces’ offensive, police have received over 770 reports of missing people. Most of those found are elderly individuals who had left their homes and are currently staying either in temporary accommodation centers or with relatives.

Longreads

The BBC reports that following the attack on Crocus City Hall, many migrant workers in Russia face a stark choice: either risk deportation or sign a military service contract. The Bumaga [Paper] independent media outlet has published an article detailing how and which Russian companies are conducting business in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

The OVD-Info independent human rights project reports on how provocateurs, police officers and a water cannon attempted to disrupt a demonstration by the relatives of mobilized soldiers outside the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow.