Finnish Court Sentences Russian Man to Life for War Crimes in Ukraine

Yan Petrovsky, a Russian man, was sentenced to life in prison by a Finnish court for war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014. He was associated with the Rusich paramilitary group and found guilty on multiple counts, including killing and mutilating soldiers. Petrovsky plans to appeal the verdict.

A Russian national, Yan Petrovsky, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Finnish court on Friday for committing war crimes in 2014 in eastern Ukraine. Petrovsky, also known under the alias Voislav Torden, was a member of Rusich, a paramilitary group tied to the Russian Wagner mercenary organization.

Petrovsky's conviction marks a rare instance of foreign legal action on crimes from the anti-Kyiv insurgency, supported by Moscow, years before its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He faced five charges relating to his activities in Luhansk province, part of the Donbass region, and was found guilty on four, including the murder and mutilation of Ukrainian soldiers.

Authorities detained Petrovsky in Finland in 2023 as he attempted to travel to France under a false identity. Although Finland's supreme court blocked his extradition to Ukraine, the court emphasized that a fixed-term sentence would not suffice given the severity of his crimes. Petrovsky denied the allegations and intends to appeal the decision.

(With inputs from agencies.)