In Finland, one of the leaders of the Russian Nazi group "Rusich", Yan Petrovskyi, who entered the country illegally under the new name Voislav Torden, was sentenced to 40 days of conditional imprisonment. In addition, he was ordered to pay a fine of €80.
The Finnish broadcaster Yle writes about it.
Vojislav Torden is included in the sanctions list of the European Union under his previous name Jan Petrovskyi — it was under this name that he was banned from entering Finland.
According to the prosecutor, Petrovsky previously applied for visas to Greece and France only under his new name, although in his applications he was asked to indicate his previous surname and name at birth. In addition, in his application for a visa to Finland, Petrovskyi-Torden denied his entry ban.
The court states that the man first came to Finland on August 16, 2022. In a few days, he went back to Russia and came to Finland for the second time on July 19, 2023 through the Vaalimaa border crossing. At the meeting, Petrovskyi denied intentionally violating the entry ban or misleading the Finnish authorities — he stated that his entry ban "could have ended." Petrovskyʼs lawyers promise to file an appeal against the courtʼs decision. Russian lawyer Nataliya Malgina told the TASS state media that her client was "sentenced to a real punishment — 40 days in prison."
Petrovsky managed to get to Finland thanks to a name change and the education of his wife, who entered the Finnish University of Applied Sciences. In July 2023, he was arrested at the Helsinki airport on suspicion of participating in the activities of the Rusych terrorist group. In December 2023, Petrovskyi was arrested on suspicion of committing war crimes in Ukraine — charges must be filed by May 31, 2024.
- Yan Petrovskyi is accused of participating in terrorist crimes, which he committed in the ranks of "Rusych" in 2014-2015 in Donetsk region and Luhansk region. Therefore, he was included in the sanctions list of the European Union and was banned from entering Finland.
- "Rusych" is a Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary group that participates in hostilities together with the Russian military in Ukraine. Yan Petrovskyi became the commander of "Rusych" after his predecessor, the neo-Nazi Oleksiy Milchakov, was wounded. Petrovsky in Ukraine faces 8 to 15 years in prison.