Russian courts convicted record number of people for 'terrorism' in 2025, study finds

In 2025, Russian courts handed down 1,776 sentences for terrorism-related crimes, convicting 2,078 people in total, according to a new study by the human rights group Department One and the research centre Parubets Analytics.

The number of convictions last year was the highest on record since Russia’s current Criminal Code came into force, the analysts found. By comparison, 1,021 people were convicted under “terrorism” charges in 2024.

Nearly 43% of those convicted in 2025 — 889 people — were charged under Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code, which covers public calls for terrorism and the justification or promotion of terrorism. Of them, 588 were convicted exclusively over speech.

630 of the people convicted of “terrorism” in Russia in 2025 were Ukrainian citizens. At the same time, Russia’s financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring, added at least 780 Ukrainians to its list of terrorists last year, though verdicts had not been handed down for some of them at the time.

The researchers found signs of political persecution in the cases of nearly half of those convicted last year (929 people). They noted that the real figure is likely significantly higher.

The median prison sentence under terrorism statutes was 15 years, and more than half of those convicted with known sentences received terms ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment. A further 72 people convicted of “terrorism” were ordered into compulsory psychiatric treatment, while 323 were fined.

The youngest person convicted on “terrorism” charges in 2025 was a 14-year-old accused of planning to set fire to a military recruitment office. The oldest was 78 at the time of sentencing.