Russia’s repressive machine is gaining momentum: hundreds of convictions for treason

In the first half of 2024, Russian courts handed down 224 verdicts in cases related to treason, espionage, and collaboration with foreign states. On average, almost two verdicts per day.

This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

It is noted that in the first half of the year there were 117 working days, so on average Russian courts handed down almost two sentences every day – 1.98. In total, 232 people were involved in these cases, all of whom were sentenced to real prison terms.

The majority of those convicted — 177 people, or 76% of the total — were sentenced under the article on high treason. This is 8% more than last year.

For comparison: in 2023, 167 people were convicted under these articles, and in the first half of 2024, 143.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 774 people have already been convicted in the Russian Federation on similar charges.

Since 2023, Russian courts have been withholding the names of about 60% of defendants, marking them as “information withheld.” It is worth noting that data from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories are not included in these statistics.

Analysts predict that by the end of 2024, the number of people convicted of treason and espionage in Russia will exceed 500, and about 1,500 in terrorism cases.

In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, distrust of the Russian authorities among collaborators is growing noticeably. The reason for this is mass repressions, closed trials, and failure to fulfill promised security guarantees.

The growing number of convictions on charges of treason within Russia is increasing fear and undermining trust even among those who previously collaborated with the occupation administration.

As a reminder, in Rostov-on-Don, a military court sentenced Ukrainian prisoner of war, Azov Brigade fighter Dmytro Remez . The 33-year-old defender was sentenced to 18 years in a strict regime colony.

As reported, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 38-year-old Yaroslav Chernyak from Poltava region to 13 years in prison for participating in the Aidar battalion.

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