The figures, published by First Department in a study prepared jointly with Parubets Analytics, cover the third quarter of the year and mark the highest quarterly totals recorded since such monitoring began.
Since the start of the year, courts have issued at least 459 verdicts against 487 people — more than in all of 2025, when there were 458 verdicts and 478 defendants.
Monthly figures also set new highs. July and September each saw 67 verdicts, more than in any single month previously; the earlier record of 57 was set in May. In August, when judicial activity traditionally declines, courts issued 52 verdicts. Across the quarter's 66 working days, that averaged about 2.8 verdicts and more than three defendants per day.
Quarterly totals rose throughout the year: 111 verdicts in the first quarter, 162 in the second and 186 in the third. Compared with the first quarter the number of rulings rose by 67.6%, and by 14.8% compared with the second. The number of people convicted grew by almost 78% over two quarters: 114 in the first, 170 in the second and 203 in the third.
Almost half the verdicts are handed down by military courts — 89 of 186 rulings (47.8%) against 97 defendants. New cases keep arriving: courts received 191 new proceedings, compared with 202 in the second quarter and 149 in the first. In total, 542 new cases were registered over nine months.
Treason is still frequently linked to terrorism: Articles 205–205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code featured in the cases of 87 of the 203 defendants (42.9%), compared with 71 of 170 (41.8%) in the second quarter.
The share of sabotage charges (Article 281 and related offences) more than doubled: 32 of 203 defendants (15.8%), against 12 (7.1%) in the second quarter. That returned the figure to its first-quarter level of 14.9%.
The identities of defendants are concealed increasingly often. The share of cases with no personal data in court records rose from 72.8% in the first quarter and 74.1% in the second to 82.3% in the third. Full names were absent for 167 of the 203 convicted, with names published in fewer than one case in five.
According to 7x7, since 2022 the Federal Security Service (FSB) has regularly published videos of the detention of people accused under terrorism and treason articles. Rights defenders at Memorial have found that some detention scenes bear signs of being staged.
The share of rulings showing signs of possible appeal grew to 172 of 186 (more than nine in ten). Courts applied compulsory medical measures to two defendants, terminated one case and returned the materials in five cases to the prosecutor.
As of 30 September, at least 242 cases against 279 people remained under consideration, including four cases with verdicts dated 1–2 October. First Department estimates that this backlog will allow the high pace of judicial work to continue in the coming months.
By number of people convicted, treason is the second most common political charge after public calls for terrorism and its justification (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). Third is the article on a terrorist act (Article 205).