According to a study by First Department and the analytical project Parubets Analytics, in the first half of 2026 Russian courts handed down 273 guilty verdicts against 284 people under articles on treason, espionage, confidential cooperation, and aiding the enemy. That is more than for the entire prewar observation period, when there were 170 such verdicts; if the pace continues, by the end of the year the number of those convicted could rise to 580–620 people.
In the second quarter, courts handed down 162 verdicts compared with 111 in the first, a 46% increase. There were 50 verdicts in April, a record 57 in May, and 55 in June, and on average courts convicted almost three people on each working day.
From April to June, at least 202 new cases reached the courts, 36% more than in the first quarter, when there were 149. In total over six months, the courts received materials for 351 new cases, and almost half of the verdicts in the second quarter — 72 of 162 — were issued by military courts.
Charges under the treason and espionage articles against 71 of the 170 defendants were also combined with terrorism charges. The courts did not disclose the names of 74% of those convicted in the second quarter, and the researchers found no acquittals or dismissed cases.
Lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov said: “The Chekists have completely devalued treason in Russia: it has ceased to be an exclusive tool for exceptional cases and has turned into a convenient instrument of persecution and career advancement. Unfortunately, we continue to expect growth in this sad statistic”.
Exact sentences for the first half of the year are known in 178 cases: the median term was 15 years in prison, the average was 15.8 years, and two people received life sentences. Since the invasion began, courts have handed down at least 1,372 guilty verdicts under articles related to state security, there have been no acquittals, 12 people received life imprisonment, and “treason” remains the most common such article with a share of 87.4%.
The researchers identified the names of 1,635 defendants and convicted people, 96% of them were deprived of liberty. Ukrainian citizens make up more than a third of those involved, and because the cases are closed, the authors estimate the real number of people involved at about 2,200.
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