Overview

• Treason and espionage cases have sharply increased in Russia since the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 Ukraine invasion.
• Prosecutions often involve scientists, journalists, and ordinary citizens accused of aiding foreign entities.
• Notable cases include Ivan Safronov, a former journalist sentenced to 22 years, and physicist Valery Golubkin, sentenced to 12 years.
• Many trials are held behind closed doors, with convictions almost guaranteed and evidence often kept secret.
• Human rights groups criticize these prosecutions as politically motivated and compare them to Soviet-era purges.