Treason cases: why they have become widespread and closed to the public
Treason in Russian law is Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In 2022, it was significantly rewritten: the list of actions was expanded, the wording “rendering assistance to a foreign state” was added, and the upper limit was raised to 20 years of imprisonment. Most cases are initiated by the FSB and heard behind closed doors.
Understanding how these cases work is important not because they affect many people personally, but because their secrecy itself creates many rumors. This is a description of how Article 275 is structured formally, what is considered evidence in practice, and why statistics on it are published only fragmentarily.
If you are looking for someone with the same surname or want to check whether a specific person is in the open wanted registry of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, this can be done by searching by full name and date of birth.
In brief
- Article 275 of the Criminal Code is treason. Penalty: from 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.
- The investigation is conducted by the FSB; courts of first instance are regional and equivalent courts, usually in closed session.
- After the 2022 revision, the list of “assistance to a foreign state” became open-ended — this gives investigators wide scope.
- Typical scenarios: transferring data, correspondence with citizens of other states, transferring funds abroad.
- According to independent human rights defenders, the number of cases initiated in 2023–2025 amounts to dozens per year — exact statistics are not officially disclosed.
What Article 275 of the Criminal Code is: how it works
Article 275 describes “treason” committed by a citizen of the Russian Federation. This means espionage, disclosure of state secrets and — after the 2022 amendments — “rendering financial, material and technical, consulting or other assistance” to a foreign state, an international or foreign organization, if this assistance is directed against Russia’s security.
Who conducts the investigation
Cases under Article 275 fall under the investigative jurisdiction of the FSB. This is set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation. A defendant has the right to choose a retained lawyer, but access to case materials is restricted — most documents are classified as “secret” or “top secret.”
Where it is heard
The first instance is a regional court, including a krai or republic court, or an equivalent court. Hearings are usually held behind closed doors under Article 241 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (protection of state secrets). Usually only the date of the verdict, the defendant’s surname, and the sentence remain publicly available.
What actions are classified under it
In practice after 2022, the article covers, among other things: transferring abroad information classified as state secrets; transferring funds to organizations that are recognized in Russia as undesirable or extremist; contacts with representatives of foreign structures, if the investigation sees this as “assistance.” The specific legal classification is within the competence of the court.
What is considered a sign that a case has been opened
| Situation | What it formally means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A search involving the FSB | Operational-search measures are underway; this does not always mean a case has been opened | Request a copy of the order; contact a lawyer |
| A travel ban at border control | It may be a preventive measure in an already opened case or part of operational-search activity | Check whether the full name appears in the open wanted registry of the Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Arrest in absentia and being put on a wanted list | A case has been opened; the person is not automatically on an international wanted list | The Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted database (open part) |
| Seizure of devices and storage media | Evidence collection; the FSB and the Investigative Committee may act in parallel | Clarify the status — witness, suspect, accused |
| A namesake in the lists | A full-name match is not uncommon; clarification by date of birth and region is mandatory | Search by full name + date of birth in the open registry |
How to check right now
Cases under Article 275 rarely appear in open databases before a verdict enters into force. But if the question is checking the fact of being wanted, you can look at the open registry of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation by full name and date of birth. Wanted Radar performs this search using a data export from Mediazona.
Full procedural data is available only to a retained lawyer — through a request to the court and the case materials. Open sources provide only statistical summaries.
Check a full name in the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted registry
Warning signs vs false alarm
A real sign of an opened case under Article 275 is usually a summons for questioning stating the person’s status (witness / suspect), an order to conduct a search, or an order imposing a preventive measure. All these documents exist on paper and can be checked by a lawyer.
An anonymous call “from the FSB” demanding that you appear or transfer money is almost always fraud. Real investigative actions are not conducted by phone call and do not require transfers.
What to do next
- If you receive a summons, clarify your procedural status and appear with a retained lawyer.
- Do not give explanations without a lawyer — even as a witness.
- Keep copies of all investigative documents (orders, records).
- Use Article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation as the right not to testify against yourself.
- For the general picture on the statistics of political cases, refer to public human rights projects (taking into account their status in Russia).
Disclaimer: this material is for information purposes and is not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact a lawyer.
Conclusion
Article 275 is one of the most serious articles in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and one of the most closed in procedure. The expansion of the wording in 2022 noticeably increased the number of cases, but reliable statistics on them are published fragmentarily: some are recorded by human rights projects, some by judicial departments in anonymized form.
If you need to check whether a person is in the open wanted registry of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you can do it immediately.