Russian courts processed state security cases faster in 2026 and handed down sentences at a higher rate, according to Department One, a Russian human rights group that analyzed data from the first quarter of the year.
Courts received 143 cases under state security statutes in the first three months of 2026. Of those, 62 — 43% — were resolved before the quarter ended. The comparable figures for the same period in 2025 were lower: 125 cases filed, with only 32 resolved by quarter’s end, a resolution rate of 26%, or 1.7 times lower.
Courts handed down at least 107 verdicts in state security cases during the first quarter of 2026, convicting 110 people. March alone produced 48 verdicts — the highest monthly total in the entire period of observation.
Treason remained the primary charge, accounting for 90% of convictions. The average sentence was 15 years and five months.
January through March together comprised 55 working days. With 110 people convicted across that span, courts sentenced an average of two defendants every working day.
“Military courts have become the most overburdened in Russia, and to handle the flow of ‘terrorist’ cases, they are forced to plan their work carefully. In practice, this means that hearings are scheduled months in advance and each case is allotted a set amount of time — often just one session,” said Department One lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov.
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