Russia’s Supreme Court reports 460% increase in treason convictions over two years, rights advocates say real figure is twice as high

Russian courts handed down 219 verdicts in treason cases over the past year, according to a report by state-controlled news agency TASS citing data from the country’s Supreme Court.

Most defendants — 156 — were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Thirty-one received 15 to 20 years, 29 received 5 to 10 years, and two were sentenced to life. Nearly 90% of those convicted are men. A quarter of the cases involve people ages 18 to 24, and 12 defendants are teenagers ages 14 to 17. Among those sentenced are five civil servants and 12 military personnel.

The Insider calculated that convictions rose by more than 460% over two years. According to the Supreme Court’s Judicial Department, 145 people were convicted of treason in 2024, compared with 39 in 2023. Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer and founder of the human rights project Pervy Otdel (lit. “Department One”), told The Insider that the official figures are consistently understated:

“It seems to me that at some point someone in the presidential administration realized that these figures — such large numbers of convictions for serious crimes against the state — were compromising the state itself. And so they decided to slightly understate them. ‘Slightly’ meaning by half. I have no other explanation.”

According to Pervy Otdel, 2025 has become a record year for convictions on “spying” charges, including treason, espionage, confidential cooperation with foreigners, and assisting an adversary. As many as 468 people were convicted, including not only political activists, but also students, IT workers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and residents of occupied Ukrainian territories. The youngest person charged with treason was 17 at the time of arrest, the oldest was 80, and at least four people were sentenced to life in prison in 2025.

Russia’s Supreme Court said 14 people were sentenced on espionage charges last year, up 55% over two years but down 39% from 2024. Another 29 were convicted in cases involving cooperation with foreigners, up 38% from 2024.

The Judicial Department earlier removed from public access court statistics on cases heard in courts of general jurisdiction, commercial courts, and by justices of the peace. According to a notice on the agency’s website, this information is “temporarily unavailable.”