Finland charges Russian paramilitary commander with war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers
The Finnish Prosecutor’s Office has formally charged Russian neo-Nazi and Rusich Group paramilitary unit commander Yan “Slavyan” Petrovsky with five war crimes allegedly committed in the fall of 2014 while fighting alongside Russian proxy forces in Donetsk and Luhansk. Finnish officials say Petrovsky (legal name: Voislav Torden) and his comrades were involved in the killing of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and wounding of another four.
The case marks the first time Finland has prosecuted war crimes in Ukraine. Petrovsky reportedly maintains his innocence.
The Finnish authorities arrested Petrovsky in July 2023 at the request of Ukrainian officials, who suspect him of war crimes against wounded and captured Ukrainian soldiers in 2014 and 2015. In December 2023, Finland’s Supreme Court refused to extradite Petrovsky to Ukraine due to the risk of torture and mistreatment in Ukrainian prisons.
