A screen shows Russian Voislav Torden (also known as Yan Petrovski), second from right, the ex-commander of the Russian far-right extremist Rusich military group, suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine, in Helsinki District Court, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
Media take pictures of a screen showing the trial of Russian Voislav Torden (also known as Yan Petrovski), the ex-commander of the Russian far-right extremist Rusich military group, suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine, in Helsinki District Court, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
A screen shows Russian Voislav Torden (also known as Yan Petrovski), second from right, the ex-commander of the Russian far-right extremist Rusich military group, suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine, in Helsinki District Court, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
Media take pictures of a screen showing the trial of Russian Voislav Torden (also known as Yan Petrovski), the ex-commander of the Russian far-right extremist Rusich military group, suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine, in Helsinki District Court, Finland, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
HELSINKI (AP) — A man has gone on trial in Finland on charges of war crimes allegedly committed against Ukrainian forces in a Russia-backed separatist region of Ukraine in 2014.
Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for the defendant at the trial which opened Thursday at the Helsinki district court, public broadcaster YLE reported.
The suspect's name was not given when the , but Finnish media have identified him as Russian national Yan Petrovsky, who had been living in Finland under the alias Voislav Torden.
His lawyer, Heikki Lampela, said he would deny all the charges.
The suspect was arrested in July 2023 at Helsinki Airport as he was headed for Nice, France, with his family.
Finland’s Supreme Court ruled he could not be extradited to Ukraine, where he faced an arrest warrant, due to the risk of inhumane prison conditions there. Finnish prosecutors said that the Nordic country has an obligation to try him.
Prosecutors said when they announced the charges on Oct. 31 that they are related to his alleged activities in a unit called Rusich, which fought for the Russian-backed Luhansk separatist region against Ukrainian forces. They said the defendant is “accused of having participated, as the unit’s deputy commander, in acts that violate the laws of war, in which he and the unit’s soldiers have killed a total of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and seriously wounded four.â€
He is also accused of “acts contrary to the laws of war regarding the way of warfare and the treatment of wounded and killed enemy soldiers.â€
In March 2014, . Separatist forces backed by Moscow later began an uprising in the eastern Ukrainian region, known as the Donbas, which grew into a long-running conflict. Russia launched its of Ukraine in February 2022.
°µÍø½ûÇø. All rights reserved.
“We should be the Taylor Swift of financial institutions.â€
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
