In Finland, one of the leaders of the Russian Nazi group "Rusich" Yan Petrovsky, who illegally entered the country under the new name Voyislav Torden, was accused of war crimes in Ukraine in 2014.
The Finnish broadcaster Yle writes about it.
From 2014, members of the Russian group "Rusich" took part in hostilities in Ukraine on the side of the Russian-backed separatists of the Luhansk region, and then the Russian army.
Petrovsky was charged with five war crimes committed in eastern Ukraine in the fall of 2014. This is the first case when Finland indicts a Russian for crimes committed in Ukraine.
Petrovsky, as the deputy commander of "Rusich", participated in actions that violate the norms of military law. According to the indictment, he and other fighters of the unit killed 22 Ukrainian soldiers and seriously wounded four. In addition, he is accused of violating the laws and customs of war — this concerns the treatment of wounded and killed Ukrainian military personnel. Petrovsky is known for torturing captured Ukrainian soldiers and looting.
According to the conclusions of the Finnish court, the Russian suspect will not be extradited to Ukraine due to the conditions of detention of prisoners in Ukraine. Petrovsky denies his guilt.
- "Rusych" is a Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary group that participates in hostilities with the Russian military in Ukraine. Yan Petrovsky 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.
- Petrovsky was caught in Finland in July 2023, he was recognized by border guards. Since he is on the EU sanctions list under his former name — Jan Petrovsky — he was banned from entering Finland. He denied that he deliberately broke the law because he thought the entry ban had already expired.
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