In 2025, Russian courts issued 1,776 verdicts under terrorism-related articles, while the total number of people convicted in such cases reached 2,078. The figures were published in a study by the human rights project First Department and the analytical center Parubets Analytics.
According to the study’s authors, this is the highest figure recorded since the current Russian Criminal Code came into force. By comparison, in 2024, 1,021 people were convicted under what are described as terrorism-related articles.
Nearly 43% of all those convicted, or 889 people, were prosecuted under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers public calls for terrorism, justification of terrorism, or its propaganda. First Department says these cases involved prosecution for statements. According to the analysts, 588 people were punished solely for words.
Among those convicted were 630 Ukrainian citizens. At the same time, Rosfinmonitoring added at least 780 Ukrainians to its register of terrorists and extremists last year, although some of them had not yet been sentenced at that point.
The analysts also said that the cases of 929 people — nearly half of all those convicted — showed signs of politically motivated persecution. The study’s authors added that the real number of such cases may be higher.
The median prison term under terrorism-related articles was 15 years. More than half of those convicted whose sentences are known received punishments ranging from 15 years in a penal colony to life imprisonment. In addition, 72 people were subjected to compulsory medical measures, while 323 defendants were fined.
The youngest person convicted on terrorism charges in 2025 was a 14-year-old teenager accused of preparing to set fire to a military enlistment office. The oldest was 78 years old at the time of sentencing. The study says that after the start of the war in Ukraine, teenagers began to be added to the register of extremists and terrorists eight times more often.