News
At least 4,029 people living in Russia and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine have been persecuted in politically motivated criminal cases related to the war in the past four years. These figures, released ahead of the fourth anniversary of Putin’s full-scale invasion, were provided by the Memorial organization’s Political Prisoners Support initiative.
As of Feb. 18, 2026, 3,059 people remain in custody. Courts have handed down 2,730 verdicts, of which 2,302 involve prison sentences. According to human rights advocates, there have been no acquittals.
The highest number of prosecutions has been recorded in the Kursk Region (346 people), the occupied portion of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region (289), and Moscow and the Moscow Region (249). As many as 899 people have faced criminal prosecution in the occupied territories of Ukraine: in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as in Crimea, including Sevastopol.
Among the defendants are 1,614 Russian nationals, 1,277 Ukrainian nationals, 121 people with dual citizenship, and 47 citizens of other countries.
Russian citizens are most often convicted on charges of high treason (473 people), committing a terrorist act (317), and publicly calling for terrorism (298). Since 2022, 731 people have become defendants in cases involving arson and sabotage.
The project says it knows the names of at least 551 persecuted civilians holding Ukrainian passports, along with 726 Ukrainian military personnel. At least 39 Ukrainian nationals have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ukrainian civilians are most often convicted for high treason (199 people), terrorist acts (159), and espionage (152). Military personnel are more frequently charged with terrorist acts (342), organizing or participating in a terrorist organization (195), or undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities (183).