Main image: Voislav Torden in the courtroom at the beginning of the trial, with his lawyer Heikki Lampela beside him. The image was taken from the display screen. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
The Helsinki District Court sentenced Russian citizen Yan Petrovskyi (Voislav Tordenille) to life imprisonment, finding him guilty of committing war crimes in Ukraine, according to Helsingin Sanomat. His defense team intends to appeal the verdict.
The Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group (DShRG) "Rusich" is a Russian far-right and neo-Nazi paramilitary unit that has been fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War. "Rusich" fought on the side of pro-Russian military in the Donbas war from June 2014 to July 2015, and in the Russian invasion of Ukraine alongside Russian troops.
Petrovskyi was charged with five war crimes committed in 2014 when he fought alongside pro-Russian militants as the deputy commander of the sabotage and assault reconnaissance group Rusich:
- Ambush on Ukrainian soldiers — Petrovskyi's unit lured Ukrainian soldiers using a Ukrainian flag and then opened fire. Over 20 people were killed.
- Execution of the wounded — After the battle, Petrovskyi's group executed surviving Ukrainian soldiers, which violates the rules of war.
- Torture of prisoners — One wounded Ukrainian soldier was mutilated: the "Rusich" emblem was carved into his face.
- Desecration of dead bodies — Petrovskyi posed with the bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers, photographed them, and shared the images on social media.
- Calls for cruelty — Before the crimes, he made statements indicating that his unit did not take prisoners and showed no mercy.
Petrovskyi denied all charges, claiming that he did not hold command positions and did not participate in combat, only filming propaganda videos.
Known by the nickname Slavyan, Petrovskyi was born in 1987 and spent his childhood in St. Petersburg. In 2004, his mother married a Norwegian citizen and moved to Oslo. Petrovskyi, then 16, moved with her. Later, he began visiting Russia, where he met the leader of the neo-Nazi DSHRG Rusich and former paratrooper Alexei Milchakov.
In 2014, they traveled to fight in Donbas on Russia's side. In September of that year, near the village of Shchastya in Luhansk region, "Rusich" militants set an ambush and destroyed a column of the "Aidar" battalion. Milchakov, who participated, openly spoke about how he photographed himself with the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers, and "Rusich" fighters cut off the ears of some of the corpses.
In 2016, Petrovskyi was deported from Norway to Russia, where he changed his name to Voislav Torden. In 2023, his wife received permission to study in Finland, and he was granted a residence permit to follow her. Petrovskyi entered Finland but was arrested at Helsinki airport before he could fly to Nice.
In December 2023, the Finnish Supreme Court rejected Ukraine's request for Petrovskyi's extradition due to conditions in Ukrainian prisons, which the European Court of Human Rights has deemed in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of torture).
