The Traitors, The Spies, The Terrorists

The Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has published data on the convicted persons for the first half of 2024. The IStories data team has looked at the statistics and here are the main points about the sentences that Russian courts handed down at the beginning of the third year of the war in Ukraine.

Record number of convictions for treason

In the first six months of 2024, 52 people were convicted for state treason. This is 3.5 times more than in the corresponding period of the previous year. There has not been such a high rate in any full year in the last 9 years. Thus, for the whole of 2023, 39 people received sentences under this article. 18 people were convicted for espionage — 9 times more than in the first half of 2023.

Two more people received sentences for confidential cooperation with a foreign state. The same number of people convicted under this article were convicted for the whole of 2023. It was introduced into the criminal code after the war in Ukraine began.

The number of military personnel convicted of murder has almost doubled

From January to June 2024, Russian courts passed sentences on 6 thousand servicemen. This is more than double the figure for the first half of last year. At the same time, the number of those convicted of crimes related to military service (desertion, disobedience of orders and others) increased three times compared to 2023 and 7.5 times compared to pre-war years.

Previously IStories told that the share of servicemen who receive real prison sentences is growing. In the first six months of 2024, such punishment was received by almost half of the military convicted under criminal articles — 48%. In previous years, less than a third of servicemen received real sentences.

The number of military personnel convicted of murder and grievous bodily harm is up 1.5 times from the same period in 2023 and 4.5 times from pre-war 2021. 24 servicemen were convicted of murder committed under aggravating circumstances (murder of several people, a pregnant woman or a child, committed with particular cruelty, etc.) — this figure increased 5 times over the year.

Most of all servicemen were convicted for drunk driving — 472 people, which is 2.5 times more than in the first half of 2023. The second place is occupied by drug trafficking, 293 people, or every 12th person, received sentences for it. Their number has also doubled compared to last year, IStories reported. 

78 military men were convicted of bribery, the maximum for all the war years. Sentences for illegal sale of weapons are also on the rise — from 12 cases in the first half of last year to 28 for the same period in 2024.

Army “discrediting” and “fakes”

Courts continue to sentence Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine. From January to June 2024, 40 people were sentenced for “fakes” about the army — this article which was introduced into the criminal code after the beginning of the war provides for up to 15 years in prison. One of them was sent by judges for compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. In the whole of last year, 65 people received sentences for so-called fakes.

Under the criminal article for the “discrediting” armed forces (also a wartime article of the criminal code), 28 people were convicted in the first half of 2024. Those who were fined twice during the year for “discrediting” the army under the administrative article are tried under this article.

Prosecutions for terrorism and extremism have increased

The number of those convicted under terrorist articles of the criminal code continues to grow in Russia. In the first half of 2024, 366 people received sentences under them — this is 11% more than in the same period of the previous year. Most of all people were prosecuted for public calls to terrorism or its justification in the media. 152 people were convicted under this article, which is 15% more than in the first half of 2023.

The number of those convicted under extremist articles of the criminal code has also increased. In the first half of 2024, 340 people were prosecuted under them, which is 21% more than in the same period of 2023. At the same time, this is less than was convicted in the second half of last year, so whether 2024 will become a record year is still unknown.

Women are more often tried under extremist articles: they account for 12% of all convicted persons. In the first half of 2023, the share of women was 8%. 5 years earlier, in the first half of 2019, there was only one woman among 109 convicted for extremism.

IStories reported that the percentage of women among those sentenced for extremism began to grow in 2022: this is due to the fact that after the start of the war in Ukraine, the authorities began to consider people with an anti-war stance, supporters of Alexei Navalny, and LGBT people as “extremists.”

Persecution for LGBT and gender transition “propaganda”

With the war begun, Russian authorities have intensified their fight against the LGBT community. Punishment for “gay propaganda” was toughened: fines increased several times, and “propaganda” was banned among citizens of all ages, not only minors. In November 2023, the Ministry of Justice recognized the non-existent “LGBT movement” as extremist.

In the first half of 2024, Russians were fined 18.6 million rubles for “LGBT propaganda.” This is close to the value for the whole year 2023, then the amount of fines amounted to 26 million rubles. From January to June 2024, 133 administrative cases on “LGBT propaganda” were filed with the courts. For the whole of 2023 there were about 200 — 9 times more than in 2022.

The number of convicts with access to state secrets traveling abroad is growing

In the first half of 2024, the number of those convicted for illegal actions related to state secrets increased.

The growth of such convictions was due to the article “Violation of requirements for the protection of state secrets,” which was introduced after the beginning of the war in 2022. It provides for liability for citizens who have or once had a state secret clearance to leave Russia. Former employees of state enterprises, engineers, designers, developers and retired military personnel fall under the new article. In 2024, 96 people were convicted under this article — this is almost twice as many as in the same period last year.

Editor: Katya Bonch-Osmolovskaya