Russian courts hand down record number of treason and espionage verdicts, rights group reports

Russian courts recently handed down a record number of verdicts in treason and espionage cases, issuing 48 convictions in the month of March, according to a report by the rights group Pervy Otdel (lit. “Department One”), published June 25. In the first quarter of 2026, 110 people were convicted on the following charges: 99 for treason, six for espionage, four on charges of “confidential cooperation with a foreign state,” and one on a charge of “aiding the enemy.”

More than half of those convicted also faced “terrorism” and “sabotage” charges in addition to treason and espionage. In nearly 70% of cases, court records concealed the personal data of those convicted. In at least two cases, defendants were sent for compulsory treatment — one in the Omsk region and one in the occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. In the Orenburg region, a defendant died before a verdict was issued.

Of the 110 people convicted, 26 were Ukrainian citizens. In the first quarter of the year, verdicts in treason and espionage cases were issued by a total of 40 courts in Russia and in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including seven military courts.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 1,100 people have been convicted in Russia on charges of treason, espionage, confidential cooperation with foreigners, and aiding the enemy. For comparison, a total of 170 people were convicted on such charges from 1997 through 2021.