Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the number of treason trials has skyrocketed. Some of the victims include seasoned scientists who have worked with nations that Moscow views as favorable, as well as independent journalists and opponents of the Kremlin.
Over a hundred instances of treason were documented by one rights organization in 2023, and there are likely another hundred that remain unrecognized. Some have drawn parallels between these prosecutions and Stalin’s purges and show trials in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. Their trials nearly invariably lead to convictions and lengthy jail terms, and they are often imprisoned in rigorous isolation in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo jail. With particular accusations and proof concealed, the formidable Federal Security Service (FSB) conducts nearly all of its investigations into them.
Officials in Moscow attributed the rise in high-profile prosecutions of alleged high-crime acts to the 2011–2012 wave of anti-government rallies. It was then broadened to encompass giving “assistance” to other governments or groups, thereby making anybody in touch with foreigners a potential traitor since the legal definition of treason was enlarged to cover such actions.
Journalists covering the Russian military and prominent scientists whose work may help in weapon development were among those targeted by the prosecution. According to professional organizations, scientists face consequences for engaging in activities that are typically associated with their jobs, such as publishing articles in journals and contributing to international initiatives.
A statement by Putin in 2018 in which he praised Russia’s hypersonic weapons program is likely the starting point for specific scientific arguments. Treason cases spiked in 2022 when the FSB gave its regional units the green light to pursue certain sorts of accusations. Officials in those departments were motivated by a desire to curry favor with higher-ups in order to progress in their careers.
The prosecutions are driven by the FSB’s sincere belief in “the fragility of the regime” at this period of political unrest.
