Nearly 200 Ukrainians, including teenagers and entire families, have been sentenced by Russian-installed courts in the territories they occupies in Ukraine. These courts have accused them of “espionage” or “treason,” often after closed trials that offer little information about what really happened.
The convictions come from areas that Russia claimed to have annexed in 2022 — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. These regions were taken after controversial referendums that most of the world called fake and illegal. Even though Russia does not fully control all parts of these regions, it has set up its own legal and administrative systems there.
According to an investigation by an independent Russian news outlet, at least 190 people have been convicted of charges like spying or cooperating with foreign governments since 2022. Many of these people are believed to be ordinary Ukrainians — teachers, farmers, students, and shop owners — who simply lived in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The report warns that the real number of convictions is likely higher because not all court decisions in these territories are made public. Some trials are completely secret, and families are often not told where their loved ones are held or what charges they face.
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Harsh Sentences and Fear in Communities
Two-thirds of the convictions have been for “espionage,” which under Russian law applies to people who are not Russian citizens. The rest were labeled “treason,” a charge used against those who are citizens of Russia. Some people who hold both Russian and Ukrainian passports have even been charged with both crimes at once.
The average prison sentence given by these occupation-run courts is more than 13 years. Some have been sentenced to life in prison. More than a quarter of those convicted are women, and at least eight were 19 years old or younger when they were arrested.
Human rights monitors have reported that at least five people have died while in Russian custody. In several of these cases, families were not informed of the deaths for weeks or months.
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Forced Citizenship in Occupied Regions
After they declared it had annexed these four regions in September 2022, it began pressuring people there to take up Russian citizenship. Residents were told they needed Russian passports to access basic services such as healthcare, education, and social benefits. Without papers, people risked being labeled “foreigners” in their own homes.
In March, the authorities introduced a new rule requiring Ukrainians living in the occupied territories to “legalize” their stay by becoming Russian citizens or face deportation. The deadline for this rule expired in September. This forced many Ukrainians to choose between accepting a new nationality or losing their right to live where they were born. Those who accept Russian citizenship can be drafted and sent to fight in the ongoing war — possibly against other Ukrainians.
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Tight Control Over Daily Life and Identity
People still in these territories report being watched closely. Authorities control who can travel, who can receive medical help, and even what news people can read. Local schools and offices have been told to follow Russian laws, symbols, and language. Ukrainian television and newspapers are blocked, and Russian channels dominate the media space.
The main goal of these measures appears to be control — over people’s identities, their movement, and their thoughts. By criminalizing Ukrainians and forcing them to take Russian citizenship, the occupation authorities tighten their grip on the regions and make resistance harder.
For now, these convictions show how the justice system in Russian-held parts of Ukraine has become another weapon of control — used to silence, frighten, and reshape entire communities.