Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 28-30, 2025 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

On Sept. 29, the federal government submitted its proposal for next year’s budget to the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly]. The document details budgetary plans for 2026 and provides an outlook for 2027 and 2028. Compared to the announcement a week earlier, several items stand out:

• A projected deficit of 3.8 trillion rubles [$46 billion].
• GDP growth of 1.3% in 2026 and nearly 7% over three years.
• Revenues to reach 40.3 trillion rubles [$486 billion] in 2026, 42.9 trillion rubles [$517 billion] in 2027 and 45.9 trillion rubles [$553 billion] in 2028.
• Expenditures to total 44.1 trillion rubles [$531 billion] in 2026, 46 trillion rubles [$554 billion] in 2027 and 49.4 trillion rubles [$595 billion] in 2028.
• Military expenditures to exceed 12.9 trillion rubles [$155 billion] in 2026, an increase from the previously reported 12.6 trillion rubles [$152 billion]; they are set to rise to over 13.5 trillion rubles [$163 billion] in 2027 and 13 trillion rubles [$157 billion] in 2028, while the allocation for 2025 stood at 13.49 trillion rubles [$163 billion].
• Spending cuts on at least 18 of 51 state programs in 2026, to generate savings of at least 207 billion rubles [$2 billion].
• VAT rate hike to 22% from the current 20%.

Additionally, the government submitted amendments to the 2025 budget. This year’s deficit is now expected to reach 5.7 trillion rubles [$69 billion]. At 2.6% of GDP, this is a marked increase from the previous target of 1.7% of GDP or 3.7 trillion rubles [$45 billion]. According to the government, this record deficit since 2020 is primarily due to lower revenue from the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, the government plans to transfer nearly 35 billion rubles [$422 million] from the treasury into the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund by the end of 2025. This amount is two and a half times larger than originally planned.

Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law amending the Labor Code to extend employment contracts for individuals who participated in the war against Ukraine and are unable to resume their jobs within three months after their service ends due to health reasons.

Additionally, Putin signed a law denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture.

The Ministry of Finance has drafted a bill granting tax benefits to families with children and to families of those taking part in the war against Ukraine. The proposal exempts them from portions of transport and land taxes, and gives parents with multiple children deductions on land and property taxes.

Fall Conscription Campaign 

Putin signed a decree launching the fall regular conscription campaign, to run from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The plan calls for drafting 135,000 men, 2,000 more than in the fall of 2024 and more than any fall call‑up since 2016, when 152,000 were conscripted. During the previous spring conscription campaign, 160,000 men were conscripted. The campaign applies to men aged 18 to 30. This will be the first campaign in which conscription orders will remain in effect year-round rather than only during the intake period.

Yevgeny Burdinsky, head of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Department of the General Staff, announced that in four regions—Moscow, Mari El [Russia's constituent republic], the Ryazan region and Sakhalin region—draft notices will be sent exclusively in electronic form during this campaign. He made the statement less than a day before the start of the call‑up. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense had stressed that that paper draft notices would not be abolished and remain legally binding. Burdinsky also reminded that the Unified Military Register will now be used for the conscription process.

A day before the start of the conscription began, at least 17 conscripts contacted the Telegram channel Idite Lesom! [Flee through the Woods/Get Lost You All], reporting that they had received electronic draft notices overnight and on the morning of Sept. 30 via the mos.ru portal. The notices, which summoned men to appear before draft boards, contained numerous errors and were even sent to individuals already holding military IDs or officially deregistered. The project noted that a similar situation occurred during the spring campaign. It also emphasized that messages sent through regional systems such as mos.ru are considered notifications, not official draft notices, and carry no legal force. Nevertheless, Moscow courts have already established a practice of recognizing such notices as valid and fining those who fail to appear.

In Altai, courts rejected a lawsuit filed by a Barnaul resident who had moved to Germany and requested removal from the military rolls. After the local draft office denied his request, the man sought redress in district and regional courts, both of which ruled that since the Unified Military Register has "not been put into operation," deregistration without appearing in person at a draft office is not possible.

Army Recruitment

In the Novosibirsk region, law enforcement officers conducted three days of raids, checking 498 migrants and issuing 33 draft notices to those who had acquired Russian citizenship.

The driver who fatally struck an 11-year-old boy in Kyzyl [Russia's constituent republic of Tyva] on Sept. 17 is reportedly planning to sign a contract with the MoD and go to war to avoid prosecution. According to the Interior Ministry, the man did not have a driver’s license and had previously been detained twice for drunk driving.

Mobilized Soldiers, Contract Soldiers and Conscripts

Anatoly Novikov, a Russian contract soldier, is being transferred to an assault platoon and is expected to be deployed to the frontline despite his severe injuries. In November 2024, during fighting for Kurakhove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Novikov sustained severe injuries which caused a significant deterioration of his health, yet he was denied medical evaluation before the transfer. Novikov's commanding officers are preparing other soldiers with health issues for deployment to assault operations, while the medical personnel in his military unit ignore their complaints and refuse to refer them for treatment. Novikov signed his contract with the MoD to support his son, who enlisted during his statutory military service. However, Novikov has not yet had the opportunity to meet with him.

In Russia's constituent Republic of Bashkortostan, a memorial stele bearing the names of local residents killed in wars and armed conflicts was unveiled in the center of the town of Birsk. One month ago, 188 names of those killed during the war against Ukraine were added to the memorial. In contrast, three residents of Birsk lost their lives during the 10-year war in Afghanistan, and four during the Chechen wars. Therefore, the losses from the current war over the past 3.5 years are 60 times greater than the entire Afghan campaign. Notably, the recently added plaques have a lot of empty space, presumably intended for future names.

At least 11,000 former members of the Young Army [pro-Kremlin youth organization for individuals up to the age of 18] have been involved in the war against Ukraine, according to the chief of the organization's main staff Vladislav Golovin, who is also a participant in the war. However, in March, Golovin had reported to Vladimir Putin that 12,000 former Young Army members had been sent to the war against Ukraine.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

A serviceman from Nalchik with the last name Akhilgov was sentenced to three years and two months on charges of sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 14 and going AWOL. Investigators believe that in July 2023, Akhilgov had sexual intercourse with the minor three times and then failed to report for duty twice in November and December of the same year.

The Tomsk Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Aleksandr Barantsev to two years in a penal colony in a case of grievous bodily harm involving a weapon. According to investigators, in a cafe in the town of Yurga, Barantsev tried to break up a fight, but after being punched in the face, he pulled out a tourist knife and stabbed his opponent in the stomach.

In the Krasnodar region, Vice Governor Aleksandr Vlasov was detained shortly after announcing he was leaving his post to be sent to the frontline. According to 93.ru, the official is suspected of embezzling subsidies intended for war participants: his subordinates allegedly prepared fictitious documents, which resulted in Cossack volunteers having to buy uniforms at their own expense. On Sept. 30, a court sent Vlasov to a pre-trial detention center on charges of abuse of power and organizing large-scale fraud as part of a group. Earlier, in June 2024, his son was implicated in a fraud case, accused of fictitious employment in a Cossack society.

In the Arkhangelsk region, a 61-year-old elderly woman from the town of Nyandoma has been accused of committing a terrorist attack. According to investigators, under the influence of fraudsters, she set fire to an official vehicle near a police station. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the car sustained minor damage.

In Russia's constituent republic of Mordovia, under articles on treason and a terrorist attack, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a man who allegedly, on assignment from Ukrainian intelligence services, carried out arson on railways and involved teenagers in them. According to law enforcement officers, the detainee was in contact with handlers and sent them photos and videos of his actions.

The Military Court of Appeal increased the sentence of Yegor Semenov, a native of Melitopol, to life imprisonment. In April 2025, he had been sentenced to 27 years in a penal colony on charges of treason and a terrorist attack involving poisonous substances. Investigators accused him of attempting to poison graduates of a flight school in Armavir in October 2023 on the instructions of a "Ukrainian intelligence officer."

In Sevastopol, the FSB detained a 45-year-old woman employed as a chef on charges of treason. Investigators claim that since September 2023, she had been in contact with Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence and began gathering information on Russian troop movements and deployment routes. She also allegedly "harbored intentions to poison servicemen involved in the special military operation."

In Obninsk, Yevgeny Rozhikhin, a former researcher at the Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, was sentenced to four years in a penal colony for the illegal export of technology. According to the FSB, he allegedly transferred data on the specifications of a power unit to an employee of a US national laboratory. Authorities claim the information could have been used in the development of weapons of mass destruction, though no further details were provided.

In Komi [Russia's constituent republic], Russian sociologist Nikolay Zyuzev, who holds a doctorate in philosophical sciences, has been placed in a pre-trial detention center over allegations of "confidential" cooperation with a foreign state. Zyuzev moved to Canada in 2008 and obtained citizenship. He returned to Russia between 2016 and 2022, left again after the war began and has since made periodic visits. Authorities have not disclosed the exact date of his detention or the specific charges filed against him.

Vladimir Litvinov, a regional government employee, has been detained in Kaliningrad. He is accused of financing terrorism for transferring funds to the Russian Volunteer Corps. The FSB claims that Litvinov made at least nine donations, holds Ukrainian citizenship and concealed his social connections to that country.

Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet] discovered a document on the website of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court accusing 54-year-old infant massage specialist Natalya Akulo of treason. The details of the charges are unknown; she is currently in a pre-trial detention center.

Assistance

The Saint Petersburg outlets Moika78 and 47-Media announced the launch of a program to retrain veterans as journalists, intended to replace the “foreign agent” reporters who have left Russia.

In the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], participants in "combat operations in the border regions of the Russian Federation" will receive a bonus of 250,000 rubles [$3,010] for treatment and rehabilitation.

Children and Militarization

Schools across Russia marked the anniversary of Russia’s annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine—the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions—with lectures and patriotic games. As part of an event branded "Thank you for being together," children in schools and kindergartens lined up in the shape of the number 89—a tally meant to include the annexed territories among Russia’s regions.

Longreads

The Sibir.Realii [part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] media outlet reported that Russian soldiers released from Ukrainian captivity are being sent back to the front despite their reluctance to return to combat.

SOTAvision published the stories of three students who did not share their relatives’ pro-war views, accompanied by commentary from a psychologist on why some children speak out against the war.

The NeNorma Telegram channel described how Russian schools are using war games such as Zarnitsa 2.0 to instill militarized propaganda in students.

The Laboratory for Public Sociology released a new report on how residents of Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukrainian troops entered in the summer of 2024, perceive the war. Researchers, working under the guise of volunteers, found that many refugees and locals try to "normalize" wartime life, ignoring air raid sirens and turning danger into a joke.