Russia sees record number of military criminal convictions in years
The surge in convictions in 2024 marks a 76% year-over-year increase, reflecting growing internal discipline issues within Russia's Armed Forces during the country's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023, military courts issued 7,779 verdicts, while 2022 saw 4,191 convictions. Data provided by Verstka dated back to 2010, when the record stood at 8,632.
Among those convicted in 2024, 6,838 service members received custodial sentences — more than double the number imprisoned a year earlier.
The data also revealed a sharp rise in drug-related convictions, with 774 service members sentenced for drug trafficking, surpassing the previous high of 560 in 2015. Russian soldiers have previously told Verstka that 10-15% of personnel in many units regularly use drugs.
Desertion remains one of the most common offenses. Independent media outlet Mediazona calculated that in 2024, Russian courts issued an average of 34 verdicts daily in cases involving troops abandoning their units without permission.
In a landmark case, a Russian court sentenced Roman Ivanishin, a soldier from Sakhalin, to 15 years in a maximum-security prison for voluntarily surrendering to Ukrainian forces — the first known conviction for surrender during the war.
The growing number of convictions highlights the mounting strain on Russia's military ranks more than three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read also: Russia jails 4 journalists over alleged work with Navalny's foundation
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