Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2023 CIT Volunteer Summary

Authorities and Legislation

Omsk regional authorities have decided to establish an award for participants of the war against Ukraine, as well as those who "help them and the Donbas." The specific type of award will be defined in the coming month. Earlier, the legislative assembly of the Primorsky region [Russia’s federal subject] instituted a medal to recognize people who excelled at providing material assistance to participants of "the special military operation."

A Moscow Times analysis of the explanation note accompanying the 2024-2026 federal budget proposal shows that the government has decided to reallocate 31 billion rubles [$315 million] from key healthcare programs to finance the war. Military expenditures will exceed 10 trillion rubles [$101 billion] in 2024-2025, representing 29.5% of all spending, and 20 trillion rubles [$203 billion] in 2026. The deepest cuts will affect programs aimed at fighting cancer and modernizing outpatient clinics, while the program to support pharmaceutical manufacturing will no longer receive any financing.

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

The fall regular conscription campaign was launched on Oct. 1 with plans to conscript 130,000 people (read more). Now regional authorities have begun to announce their respective targets. The Vladimir and Tyumen regions plan to conscript around 1,300 and 1,600 people, respectively. Meanwhile, Andrey Gurulyov, State Duma Member from the Zabaykalsky region [Russia’s federal subject], stated that conscripts can request to serve in regions bordering Ukraine.

Administrators of Voronezh State Pedagogical University invited its final year students to consider contract-based military service after graduation. None of the students expressed any interest in enlisting, however.

The authorities of the Vladimir region no longer disclose the number of contract soldiers being deployed to the combat zone, even though several farewell celebrations are being held each week in the region for those departing to fight in Ukraine. Based on photos published by the region’s government, Zebra TV [a pro-Russian media outlet of the Vladimir region] estimates the number of local residents sent to the war in September 2023 as about 150, which is far fewer than the targets reached in the previous months. Thus, 273 men were recruited and transferred to the frontline in July, and 271 in August. Yet, Deputy Head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claims the opposite, arguing that the number of volunteer fighters has been growing recently, with up to 2,000 men signing up for a contract with the Ministry of Defense nationwide every day.

In the city of Ivanovo, anti-war activists tied black ribbons as a symbol of mourning on pillars with billboards advertising military service.

Mobilized Soldiers and Volunteer Fighters

The list of mobilized soldiers killed in the war has been updated to include Firgat Tagirov from Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic], Roman Gasparov from the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region–Yugra [Russia's federal subject], Yevgeny Maraev from the Krasnoyarsk region, and Yevgeny Kravchenko.

Deputy Mayor of Irkutsk Tatiana Edelman has stated that approximately 100 residents of the city had been killed in the war. According to her, the families of the deceased, who were residing in Irkutsk at the time of their conscription, will have their funeral expenses reimbursed.

Soldiers of the 1307th Regiment deployed near the village of Klishchiivka recorded a video address complaining of the lack of supplies and weapons, as well as of disrupted evacuation and artillery support. According to them, a group of only 15 troops was being ordered to assault a position allegedly defended by 100 Ukrainian soldiers. Nevertheless, the complainants were committed to carry out their mission. The video, which should have been published in the event of their death, was recorded on Sept. 19. In the past, members of the 1307th Regiment were known to have complained repeatedly about their command.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In Irkutsk, a contract soldier from the 228th Motorized Rifle Regiment, Murodjon I., has been detained. He faces criminal charges related to sexual violence. According to investigators, he committed acts of sexual assault against a 9th-grade student.

The Novocherkassk Garrison Military Court has issued a verdict against three contract soldiers from the city of Astrakhan, charging them with violent actions against their superior during combat activities. These individuals have received sentences ranging from five and a half to six years in a penal colony, despite the potential maximum penalty for this charge being 15 years of imprisonment. The convicted individuals are reportedly planning to request the remainder of their sentences be replaced with participation in the war in Ukraine.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has denied compensation to a Rosgvardia [National Guard of Russia] serviceman for injuries sustained in Ukraine, as they resulted from actions by Russian military personnel. The soldier unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the decision of the Nalchik Garrison Military Court to deny compensation, arguing that the presidential decree does not specify that the injury must be inflicted specifically by enemy actions.

The Supreme Court of Buryatia [Russia's constituent republic], after five months of legal battles, recognized the draft deferral certificate of a mobilized forest protection employee as lawful. The firefighter returned home despite the fact that the draft deferral certificate was issued after the start of mobilization.

In Vladivostok, a 24-year-old student was detained for arson of a draft office. According to law enforcement, a local entrepreneur asked her to film him and his friend setting fire to the draft office. On the night of Sept. 26, they arrived at the draft office; one of the men poured a flammable liquid on the window and then set it on fire. This was captured by surveillance cameras. The student and the entrepreneur were detained, and the third suspect is being sought.

The Baza Telegram channel reports that on the night of Sept. 21 in Magadan, a 20-year-old girl attempted to burn the local draft office but mistakenly set fire to a printing warehouse.

In the town of Kudrovo, Leningrad region, a suspect in an attempted arson attack on a Saint Petersburg draft office has been detained. The suspect filmed the incident on his phone. The draft office did not catch fire, and emergency services arrived at the scene.

In Moscow, a 34-year-old man was detained on suspicion of preparing an arson attack on a draft office. Officers of the State Inspectorate for Road Traffic Safety stopped his car near the draft office and found a backpack with gunpowder, saltpeter and kerosene in it.

In the case of Aleksey Rozhkov, who allegedly tried to set fire to a draft office in the town of Beryozovsky, Sverdlovsk region, in March 2022, investigators reclassified his actions from destruction of property to an act of terror, which could carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It is worth noting that Rozhkov managed to leave for Kyrgyzstan but was deported back to Russia.

Sergey Novikov, who was previously detained for being involved with the "Freedom of Russia Legion," has a new criminal case opened against him on charges of preparing an act of sabotage. During a search in Novikov’s apartment, components for explosives were allegedly found. Additionally, a cache with 17 plastic bottles of kerosene and various equipment was allegedly found in a tree line near a military training ground.

Assistance

A serviceman from the Krasnodar region has contacted a Member of the Regional Legislative Assembly, requesting compensation for medical expenses resulting from an injury at war. Head of the Seversky district in the Krasnodar region has stated that the government will fully restore the home of a mobilized soldier's family, which was damaged by fire earlier.

Members of the ZOVartovsk86 movement in Nizhnevartovsk have woven 170 camouflage nets since the beginning of the year. A family from the Vladimir region cooks homemade food for the military. Volunteers in the city of Nefteyugansk have opened a second-hand store for those in need from the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region and from occupied areas of Ukraine. The money they raise is intended to be used for supporting the military.

Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of the Primorsky region, has announced plans to deliver specialized equipment to the combat zone. This equipment was confiscated from "illegal loggers and unscrupulous natural resource users."

Meanwhile, In the Irkutsk region, timber collected after cleaning up the riverbeds is planned to be distributed as firewood among the families of mobilized soldiers.

Volunteers in the Vladimir region, who are involved in collecting aid for the participants of the "special military operation," have highlighted issues with supplies to the military. According to them, the main problem is the lack of vehicles.

Children

The city of Surgut is set to open the Avangard Center for Patriotic Education, a year-round facility offering basic military training and patriotic-themed summer camps for children. Meanwhile, the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region will host a patriotic gathering for teenagers featuring militarized relays, wartime-themed games, and discussions with participants of the "special military operation."

Miscellaneous

In Yekaterinburg, a flash mob commemorating the anniversary of the so-called "annexation" of the "LPR," "DPR," Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions by Russia took place. Activists from Molodaya Gvardiya [the Young Guard, the youth wing of the United Russia party], formed the number "89" (equivalent to the number of Russian "regions") and unfurled a 50-meter flag.

In Russia’s constituent Republic of Komi, the head of the Pechora administration, Valery Serov, has been arrested. The arrest occurred on the day he was set to depart for the war zone. The Investigative Committee suspects Serov of accepting a bribe from a businessman. Previously, Communist Party of the Russian Federation deputies had alleged that Serov's intention to participate in the war was an attempt to evade criminal responsibility. The court has arrested Serov until Nov. 29.

In Krasnokamensk, Zabaykalsky region, a monument to soldiers "protecting the Russian world" in Ukraine was unveiled.

Longreads

Novaya Gazeta Europe [European edition of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta] launched the Mortal Regiment project, which collected 500 stories of Russian soldiers who were killed in the war in Ukraine, as well as stories of their families. In 2023, the Russian authorities canceled the Immortal Regiment rally, a traditional march of collective memory.

The 7x7 media outlet calculated the assistance provided to the "new territories" since Feb. 24, 2022. In 2023, the authorities allocated more than 410 billion [$4.19 billion] rubles from the federal budget to the "LPR," "DNR," Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Additionally, the governors started taking patronage over some cities and districts as early as the spring of 2022, allocating funds for their reconstruction from regional budgets.