Mobilization in Russia for Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2024 CIT Volunteer Summary

Army Recruitment and Military Service Advertising

Russian authorities plan to enlist in the war 40% of the 60,000 defendants currently on trial, writes Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories], an independent Russian investigative media outlet. In late September, the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly] passed a bill allowing defendants to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense during their trials, and it was approved by the Federation Council [upper house]. Although Vladimir Putin has yet to sign the bill into law, criminal lawyers report that preparations are already underway at pre-trial detention centers. A source in the MoD indicates that military recruiters have received orders to gather information on the number of defendants fit for service and willing to enlist. Each pre-trial detention center may send around 100 defendants. With 210 such centers across the country, this means they could send approximately 20,000 individuals to war. According to the Federal Penitentiary Service, 106,000 people were held in pre-trial detention centers, including suspects and defendants, in early 2024. Lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov says that officials are pressuring inmates in penal colonies and pre-trial detention centers to sign contracts with the MoD through increasingly harsh detention conditions.

Pskov Mayor Boris Yolkin has signed a resolution to use the city’s reserve fund to pay bonuses to draft office, recruitment center and Ministry of Internal Affairs employees, who achieve high recruitment rates for contract military service.

In the Novosibirsk region, authorities have increased the sign-up bonus for enlisting to 600,000 rubles [$6,400]. The last increase was in July, when the bonus was raised to 400,000 rubles [$4,270], up from 100,000 rubles [$1,070]. With the federal component included, the total sign-up bonus in the region has now reached 1 million rubles [$10,700].

The government of Bashkortostan [Russia's constituent republic] plans to introduce additional payments of 50,000 rubles [$530] for employees of institutions under the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Protection who sign contracts with the MoD. Earlier, the republic’s Ministry of Transport established a sign-up bonus of 400,000 rubles [$4,270] for those who sign a contract.

The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel reminds readers about who may be exempt from regular conscription. Meanwhile, Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet], together with human rights activists from the Prizyv k Sovesti [Call to Conscience] coalition, has prepared a guide with answers on how to navigate the changed conditions of conscription.

In the Sverdlovsk region, 2,500 men who received Russian citizenship have been registered for military service in the past nine months. According to the Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Central Military District, 250 of them have allegedly gone to fight in Ukraine.

Sentences, Legal Proceedings and Incidents

In the Belgorod region, a fighter from the Akhmat regiment threw a grenade into the car of Kurban Akaev, a serviceman from the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment. As a result, one soldier was injured but did not seek medical attention. After the explosion, both parties tried to negotiate repairs to the damaged car, but the situation escalated into a fight. It is worth noting that recently, the Astra Telegram channel reported on Akhmat fighters attempting to abduct a civilian from the Valuysky district, allegedly for filming their location.

A 31-year-old soldier and "Orthodox blogger" from Saint Petersburg has been detained on charges of sexual violence against a 10-year-old girl. The Ostorozhno, Novosti [Beware the News] Telegram channel has identified the detainee as Klaud Rommel, a Saint Petersburg resident of German origin. Rommel went to the frontline after a criminal case was initiated. He recently returned home after being wounded, and on Oct. 1, he was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. The Investigative Committee charges Rommel with rape of a minor and sexual violence.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, 22-year-old soldier Roman Pavlenko, who had returned home for treatment, stole his friend’s car and immediately got into an accident while under the influence of alcohol. After being detained, Pavlenko confessed to the crime and stated that he had no prior experience driving a vehicle.

In Saint Petersburg, Pavel Gusarov, a participant in the war against Ukraine, has been sentenced to three years in a penal colony for attempting to steal a car. In March 2024, Gusarov, while under the influence of alcohol, was a passenger in the vehicle. At some point he decided to drive the vehicle himself and began to strangle the driver, who was forced to stop and give up the driver's seat. Ten minutes later, Gusarov crashed the vehicle, and the driver sustained minor injuries. Although Gusarov pleaded guilty, he clarified in court that he did not intend to steal the car. The court considered mitigating factors, including Gusarov's status as a war participant, his combat wounds, his upbringing in a large family and his expressed remorse.

Over the single month of September 2024, as many as 11 criminal cases were submitted to the Garrison Military Court of the city of Vladimir against military personnel accused of going AWOL. In total, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Vladimir court has received over 186 AWOL cases.

Family members of Aleksandr Tirskikh, a mobilized soldier from the Irkutsk region found hanged in the self-proclaimed "LPR" in March 2023, are not being allowed to attend court sessions. Shortly before his death, he reached out to his relatives and told them he had been detained for being drunk and was held captive in the commandant’s office. Tirskikh also said that was receiving death threats and was in fear for his life. Two months later his family was informed about his suicide. Criminal proceedings were initiated against the confinement officer, accused of failing to confiscate the shoelaces Tirskikh used to hang himself with.

In the Khabarovsk region, 20-year-old Vyacheslav Tsang-Khoi, a student at the Amur Polytechnic College, has been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. He was found guilty of two counts of sabotage, as well as of providing terrorist training, participation in a "sabotage community," treason, justification of terrorism and money laundering. As Mediazona revealed in the court judgment register, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Tsang-Khoi back in August 2023, along with his 19-year-old friend Anton Bogatyryov. Both young men were arrested and locked up for 15 days after being caught putting up leaflets of the "Freedom of Russia Legion."

The Supreme Court of the Amur Region has upheld the 13-year sentence for 48-year-old engineer Ostap Demchuk, who was convicted of treason. A lower court had sentenced him to a maximum-security penal colony due to money transfers he made to his mother in Ukraine. According to Demchuk, part of these funds was used by his mother for humanitarian aid and assistance to former soldiers. However, investigators claim Demchuk made 15 transfers to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was detained back in June 2023.

In Ivanovo, a construction worker has been sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for treason. According to the court, Yury Kolganov made two cryptocurrency transfers totaling just over 3,000 rubles [$32] to the "Freedom of Russia Legion."

The FSB reported the detention of 39 "pro-Ukrainian radicals" aged 14 to 35, who allegedly encouraged teenagers to commit "violence against government officials, classmates and teachers" via the messaging app Discord. Nine of them are also allegedly involved in planning armed attacks, according to the agency. The operations were carried out in 78 regions of Russia, with weapons and ammunition seized.

In the Samara region, a criminal case for sabotage has been opened following an explosion on a railway bridge near the city of Kinel.

On Sept. 16, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced Daniil Senko, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod, to 12 years in prison. He was found guilty of planning an act of intended treason and participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. The specific charges leading to his conviction remain undisclosed. In late September 2023, Senko was added to the official list of extremists and terrorists.

In Kaluga, a 16-year-old girl has been detained for allegedly attempting to join the "Russian Volunteer Corps." According to reports from the Kremlin-aligned news outlet Mash, the girl, identified as a skinhead, attempted to contact the unit via a Telegram bot. After making contact, she was offered to flee to Georgia with her 20-year-old boyfriend, Vladimir. However, she was arrested before they could depart.

In January, Sergey and Natalya Malyshev, a retired couple from the Belgorod region whose son is fighting in Ukraine, were detained after cutting down five trees to heat their stove. The court found them guilty of causing damage to the forest, amounting to 129,000 rubles [$1,380]. They were sentenced to a year of restricted freedom and ordered to pay full restitution. The couple is currently caring for their two grandchildren while their son fights in the war, according to the Pepel [Ashes] Telegram channel.

Children and Educational System

According to the Vyorstka media outlet, Russia's budget spending on "patriotic education" in 2025 will exceed the planned amount by 1.5 times, and 20 times more than during the pre-war period. The federal budget will spend 66.63 billion rubles [$711 million] for the "We Are Together" national project, aimed at fostering patriotism among Russians.

On Sept. 30, Russian kindergartens, like schools, celebrated the anniversary of the annexation of the occupied Ukrainian regions. According to the Agentstvo [Agency] independent media outlet, over 100 preschool institutions from all over Russia posted reports of their activities on the VKontakte social network. The reports indicated that teachers explained the background of the "holiday" to the children and taught them how to march and assemble an assault rifle.

In Voronezh, teachers are being trained to teach a new "Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland" subject. The training includes lessons on firearms handling. Similar training sessions for educators have also been reported in the Kurgan region.