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2024

In Russia, the number of criminal cases entering the courts was reduced by 9.6% - to 651.3 thousand.

On April 25, 2025, it became known that the judicial department at the Supreme Court of Russia recorded a record low number of criminal cases admitted to the courts of first instance in 2024 - 651.3 thousand cases, which is 9.6% less than 2023 and 32.6% less than in 2015. The published data show a steady decline in the number of criminal cases referred to the court system over the past decade.

According to Kommersant, the number of defendants whose cases go to the courts also falls proportionally. In 2024, the courts considered cases against 693.4 thousand people, which is 9.9% less than in 2023 and 34% less than in 2015.

In 2024, the courts of general jurisdiction ruled on 659.8 thousand criminal cases against 679.4 thousand people. For comparison, in 2023, 727.2 thousand cases were completed in relation to 750.7 thousand accused, and ten years ago - 962.5 thousand cases in relation to 1.03 million people.

At the same time, the share of convictions increased - they were passed 78.69% of the defendants, while in 2015 this figure was 74.06%. Only 0.26% of the accused (1798 people) received acquittals, which is below the ten-year-old figure - 0.42%.

In 2024, the courts dismissed the cases of 18.28% of the accused (against 23.52% in 2015), returned 1.58% of the defendants to the prosecutor's office (0.83% in 2015). For 1.19% of the accused, the courts applied compulsory medical measures, which is almost the same as in 2015 - 1.17%.

Jury trials in 2024 heard 1,219 cases and delivered 290 acquittal verdicts, almost 24% of the total number of cases they heard. In the appellate instance, 189 of the 290 acquittals and 63 of the 819 guilty verdicts were overturned.^[1]

Satisfaction of 88% of applications for arrests

According to the chairman, Supreme Court of Russia Irina Podnosova out of 97 thousand petitions for the election of a preventive measure in the form of detention received by the courts in 2024, 88% were satisfied. The information was presented in February 2025 at a meeting of judges with the participation of the president. Russia Vladimir Putin

According to Vedomosti, the number of applications to extend the term of detention in 2024 amounted to 172 thousand, which is 7% less than in 2023.

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Фото: Supreme Court Website

Statistics of the application of preventive measures in 2024:

• Detention - 85.4 thousand cases.
• House arrest - 16 thousand cases.
• Prohibition of certain actions - 5 thousand cases.

On February 18, 2025, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a package of amendments limiting cases of detention. The new law provides for the mandatory accounting of the use of violence in determining the preventive measure and prohibits the arrest of persons with serious diseases from the list approved by the government.

The Supreme Court of Russia in 2023 developed a bill that significantly limits the possibility of detaining suspects and accused of committing crimes of minor gravity and non-violent crimes of moderate severity. Special restrictions apply to minors and women with young children.

According to the new amendments, restriction of freedom for minors, pregnant women, only parents, adoptive parents and guardians of young children or children with disabilities is possible only if they are suspected or accused of grave and especially grave crimes.

The change in legislation is aimed at humanizing the system of preventive measures and taking into account special circumstances when making decisions on arrest. The annual reduction in the number of applications for an extension of detention indicates a trend towards a more selective application of this preventive measure.^[2]

2023: The courts of first instance received 720.6 thousand criminal cases

In 2023, fewer criminal cases were received in Russian courts, while the percentage of convicts increased, and the number of acquittals remained at a low level. Such data became known in July 2024 from the analysis of statistics of the Judicial Department at the Supreme Court (Supreme Court) of the Russian Federation.

In 2023, the courts of first instance received 720.6 thousand criminal cases, which is 7.2% less than in 2022 (776.7 thousand) and 23% less than in 2014 (936.8 thousand). This trend has continued for the past decade.

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Фото: Supreme Court of Russia

Despite the decline in the number of cases, the percentage of convicted persons rose to a record level over the past ten years. In 2023, trial courts convicted 78.45% of defendants, up 1.34 percentage points from 2022.

The number of acquittals remains extremely low. In 2023, only 0.25% of the defendants were acquitted, which practically does not differ from the 2022 figure (0.26%). For comparison, in 2014 this figure was 0.52%.

Experts assess the reasons for these trends differently. Leonid Golovko, head of the criminal process department of the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University, connects the reduction in the number of criminal cases with the efforts of the Supreme Court to humanize justice and the development of the practice of terminating cases at the pre-trial stages.

At the same time, Golovko explains the increase in the number of convicts by the fact that after weeding out less serious crimes, "there remains a more concentrated, dangerous crime," in respect of which mechanisms alternative to condemnation are rarely used.

The Federal Chamber of Lawyers believes that the identified trends indicate "stagnation in Russian legal proceedings and a decrease in its standards." However, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation refrained from commenting, stating that "analysis of judicial statistics does not fall under the basic competence of the Supreme Court."^[3]

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