Sample Criminal Appeal in Russia: Template with English Translation
This page contains two templates for a criminal appeal in Russia, a short appeal that can be filed in the first days after the verdict to protect the deadline and a full appeal with detailed grounds, each translated into English so that a family member who does not read Russian can understand exactly what the document says and what needs to go into it. Criminal proceedings in Russia are conducted in Russian, so an appeal written in English cannot be filed with the court: it must be filed in Russian, and the Russian original is available to download in Word and PDF, and the English translation is provided as a PDF for reference only. I should say honestly from the start that a template helps to get the form right and not lose time, but strong arguments cannot be written from a template, because they come from the particular judgment, the trial record and the case file, and that is usually the point at which a lawyer is needed. I have explained how the whole process works, what the deadlines are and what happens after the appeal is filed in my article on how to appeal a criminal conviction in Russia, while this page is only about the document itself. The templates follow the requirements of Article 389.6 of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure and reflect the law as of 14 October 2026.
Short or full appeal: which one to file
An appeal against a criminal judgment in Russia must be filed within 15 days of the verdict, and a convicted person held in custody counts that period from the day they receive a copy of the judgment (Article 389.4(1)), which is often not enough time to obtain the trial record, listen to the audio recording and think the position through calmly. In practice, therefore, a short appeal is often filed first, stating disagreement with the verdict and asking for it to be set aside or changed, and the detailed arguments are set out later in a supplementary appeal, which the law expressly allows: a supplementary appeal is considered if it reaches the appellate court no later than five days before the hearing (Article 389.8). If the judgment is already in hand, the record has been read and the arguments are clear, it is better to file the full appeal straight away, because a short appeal that is never supplemented gives the court almost nothing to review.
Template 1. Short appeal against a criminal conviction (English translation, not for filing)
To [name of the appellate court]
via [name of the court that delivered the verdict]
from the convicted person [full name], born [date of birth],
held at [name of the pre-trial detention centre] / residing at: [address]
criminal case No. [case number]
APPEAL against the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment]
By the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment], I was found guilty of an offence under [part, article] of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced to [type and length of sentence].
I disagree with the judgment and consider it unlawful, unfounded and unjust. Detailed grounds will be set out in a supplementary appeal after I receive a copy of the judgment and review the record and audio recording of the trial.
On the basis of the above and in accordance with Articles 389.1, 389.3, 389.4 and 389.6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
I REQUEST:
1. That the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment] in criminal case No. [case number] be set aside (changed).
2. That I be given access to the record and audio recording of the trial and to the case file.
3. That my participation in the appellate hearing be ensured, including by video link.
[Date] [Signature] [Surname and initials]
A short appeal has one purpose, which is to preserve the right of appeal while the real arguments are being prepared, and that is why a general statement that the judgment is unlawful and unjust is acceptable here, although I would not recommend it in a full appeal. Note the third request: if the convicted person is in custody and wants to take part in the appellate hearing, it is better to say so straight away in the appeal rather than assume the court will arrange it. The first line names the court that will hear the appeal, and the second names the court that delivered the verdict, because the appeal is filed through it (Article 389.3). An appeal against a judgment of a justice of the peace is heard by the district court; an appeal against a district court judgment goes to the regional-level court, such as the supreme court of a republic, a regional court or the city court of Moscow, St Petersburg or Sevastopol; and where that regional-level court heard the case at first instance, the appeal goes to one of the appellate courts of general jurisdiction, depending on the region. In cases heard by military courts, an appeal against a garrison military court goes to the district (naval) military court, and an appeal against a district (naval) military court goes to the Appellate Military Court.
Template 2. Full appeal against a criminal conviction (English translation, not for filing)
To [name of the appellate court]
via [name of the court that delivered the verdict]
from [the convicted person (full name) / defence counsel, advocate (full name), registry number, on behalf of the convicted person (full name)]
address for correspondence: [address], telephone: [telephone]
criminal case No. [case number]
APPEAL against the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment]
By the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment], [full name of the convicted person] was found guilty of an offence under [part, article] of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and sentenced to [type and length of sentence, type of penal institution]. The preventive measure was [set as detention / left unchanged].
I consider that the judgment should be [set aside / changed] on the grounds provided for in Article 389.15 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, for the following reasons.
1. The court’s conclusions do not correspond to the facts of the case (Article 389.15(1), Article 389.16). [State which conclusion of the court is not supported by the evidence, which evidence examined at trial contradicts it (with reference to the volume and page of the case file or the trial record) and why the court could not have reached that conclusion.]
2. Material breach of criminal procedure law (Article 389.15(2), Article 389.17). [State the specific breach, for example the refusal of a defence application without reasons, the use of inadmissible evidence or a violation of the right to a defence, and explain how it affected the lawfulness of the judgment.]
3. Incorrect application of criminal law (Article 389.15(3), Article 389.18). [State why the offence was classified incorrectly, which provision should have been applied and how this changes the outcome.]
4. Unjust sentence due to its excessive severity (Article 389.15(4), Article 389.18(2)). [List the mitigating circumstances and personal details that the court ignored or treated as a formality, and explain why a different sentence would have complied with the law.]
[If you are asking the court to examine evidence that was not examined at first instance, list it and explain why it could not have been submitted earlier for reasons beyond your control (Article 389.13(6.1)).]
On the basis of the above and in accordance with Articles 389.1, 389.3, 389.6, 389.15 and 389.20 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,
I REQUEST:
1. [That the judgment of [name of court] dated [date of judgment] be set aside and an acquittal be delivered / that the criminal case be terminated on the ground provided for in [point, part, article] of the Code of Criminal Procedure / that the judgment be changed by reclassifying the offence under [article] of the Criminal Code and reducing the sentence.]
2. [That the following evidence be examined at the hearing: list.]
3. That the appeal be heard with the participation of the convicted person [and defence counsel].
Attachments:
1. [Advocate’s warrant, if the appeal is filed by defence counsel.]
2. [Documents supporting the grounds of appeal, with the number of pages.]
[Date] [Signature] [Surname and initials]
How to complete the full appeal
The heading looks like a formality, but mistakes in it happen all the time: the appeal is addressed to the wrong court or sent directly to the appellate court, even though the law requires it to be filed through the court that delivered the verdict (Article 389.3), and the days lost in forwarding are days the defence does not have. The opening part should briefly and precisely restate what the court decided, meaning the article, the sentence, the type of penal institution and the preventive measure, because the appellate court reviews the judgment within exactly those coordinates. The core of the appeal, the grounds, is built around Article 389.15, and I would advise against filling in all four points of the template for the sake of completeness; keep only those that genuinely apply in your case, and in each of them refer to specific pages of the trial record and the case file rather than to a general impression of the trial. The requests at the end should match precisely what you are trying to achieve and the powers of the appellate court (Article 389.20), so if the real goal is a lighter sentence, it is better to ask directly for the judgment to be changed rather than automatically requesting that it be set aside and sent for a retrial, which means another set of proceedings with all their risks.
Common mistakes in a criminal appeal
The most common mistake is an appeal that retells the closing speech or the whole history of the case but never identifies a specific error by the court, so that the appellate court, after ten pages of emotion, leaves the verdict unchanged because there is essentially nothing for it to review. The second mistake concerns deadlines: people assume that the period runs from receipt of the copy of the judgment, although that rule applies only to the convicted person in custody, while for defence counsel and for relatives helping to prepare the appeal the 15 days run from the date of the verdict. The third concerns new evidence attached to the appeal without any explanation of why it was not presented at trial, in which case the court will simply not examine it. And finally, appeals often contradict each other, with the convicted person saying one thing and the lawyer another, which is the easiest kind of position for an appellate court to dismiss, so where several people are appealing, their positions should be aligned.
Download the templates
If you are helping a relative convicted in Russia, the template will show you what the appeal must contain and help you avoid missing the deadline, and if the case is serious and time is short, write to me: I will review the judgment and tell you which grounds the appeal could be built on, and if necessary a short appeal can be filed immediately while the full one is prepared. You can read more about my work on the page Russian Criminal Defence Lawyer.
Need help with your appeal?
Frequently asked questions
Can an appeal in a Russian criminal case be written in English?
No. Criminal proceedings in Russia are conducted in Russian (Article 18 of the Code of Criminal Procedure), so the appeal must be filed with the court in Russian. The English translation on this page is for understanding only and cannot be filed.
Can a short appeal be filed first and the grounds added later?
Yes, this is common practice: the short appeal is filed within the 15-day deadline, and a supplementary appeal with the grounds must reach the appellate court no later than five days before the hearing (Article 389.8).
Where is a criminal appeal filed?
Through the court that delivered the verdict (Article 389.3). An appeal against a justice of the peace is heard by the district court, and an appeal against a district court verdict by the regional-level court, such as a regional court or the Moscow or St Petersburg City Court.
Is there a court fee for a criminal appeal in Russia?
No. No court fee is payable for an appeal in a criminal case.
Templates reviewed as of 14 October 2026. They provide general information only and do not constitute individual legal advice: the content of the appeal, the court it is addressed to, the deadlines and the grounds depend on the particular criminal case.
Olga Sverchkova
