Russian neo-Nazi Jan Petrovsky stands trial in Finland: denies charges of murder and torture of Ukrainian POWs
An extraordinary trial has commenced in the District Court of Helsinki, where Russian national Yan Petrovsky, who now calls himself Vojislav Torden, faces charges of five war crimes committed in eastern Ukraine in September 2014. Prosecutors are pressing for life imprisonment, reports the Finnish news agency Yle.
Torden's lawyer, Heikki Lampela, announced before the trial that Petrovsky-Torden would deny all charges of war crimes. "He confidently participates in this trial. He believes that once he's heard, the charges will be dropped," said the lawyer.
Following the prosecution's reading of the charges, the defense briefly outlined the points contesting the charges against Torden.
Petrovsky's charges involve his activities with the Russian military group "Rusich" active in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region. The neo-Nazi is considered involved in the murder of 22 Ukrainian military personnel, with four others severely injured. On September 5, 2014, the group killed 22 Ukrainian soldiers and severely injured four.
It’s noted that Ukrainian soldiers were captured because the Russians deceived them using the Ukrainian flag to capture a checkpoint. The group fired weapons at a Ukrainian convoy, and following the ambush, the Russians executed at least four wounded soldiers.
According to the indictment, as the deputy commander of the "Rusich" unit, Petrovsky directed his subordinates and personally shot Ukrainian soldiers with a hand-held machine gun. In this circumstance, 21 soldiers died on the spot, while one died later. Four soldiers survived.
The indictment also alleges that the neo-Nazi allowed his subordinates to mutilate a defenseless Ukrainian soldier by carving the "Rusich" emblem on his face.
Petrovsky is also accused of desecrating the body of a deceased Ukrainian soldier, posing for a photograph with it, which was disseminated online. As a deputy leader, Petrovsky allegedly published statements online indicating his group under his de facto leadership would demonstrate no mercy and take no prisoners.
Prosecutors' evidence primarily stems from videos recorded at the scene. Torden documented and posted material on his violent acts and activities in public internet forums.
The defense claims neither Petrovsky-Torden nor the "Rusich" participated in the attack using the Ukrainian flag; instead, it was orchestrated by the "Zarya" battalion. Furthermore, Lampela asserted that Torden was at the scene with a reporter, creating propaganda videos for recruitment purposes, not engaging in combat.
According to Torden, in an incident he witnessed, 11 Ukrainian soldiers died in a rocket explosion. Captured wounded individuals, he claims, were sent to a hospital rather than being executed.
The defense insists no wounded Ukrainian soldiers had the "Rusich" symbol carved into their cheeks, and Petrovsky himself was not involved in such activities. Lampela emphasized that material on a fallen soldier's face was mud, not blood. The defense also disputes the prosecution's view of a photograph taken at the crime scene; in their opinion, it does not degrade the deceased solider.
Lampela stated that his client did not act disrespectfully in the photos. The defense argues the photo merely shows a wider view of the battlefield where the deceased appears "as a small figure in the background." The defense claims the photo, published online, is fake, and that original versions of the photos are unavailable. Yan Petrovsky also denies photographing the commander and the body of the deceased soldier.
Torden refutes claims in the "Rusich" propaganda video that he vowed not to take Ukrainian soldiers hostage. Instead, he asserts it was the commander who said so.
Petrovsky's supposed role was to facilitate getting the wounded to medical facilities. Special Prosecutor Lilli Limingoya stated that questions about whether Torden was indeed the deputy commander of the "Rusich" group and participated in any events remain debatable.
The trial in Finland proceeds because the suspect cannot be extradited to Ukraine. Despite Ukraine's request for extradition, Finland's Supreme Court ruled it could not be fulfilled due to poor prison conditions in Ukraine and concerns about an unfair trial for Petrovsky.
Torden was apprehended in Finland last August when border services identified him. He appears on an EU sanctions list under his previous name and is banned from entering Finland, being arrested in December on suspicions of war crimes.
After Petrovsky's arrest, "Rusich" announced they would cease military tasks since Russia cannot protect its fighters.
On August 25, Finnish police arrested Russian citizen Jan Petrovsky on accusations of having committed terrorist acts in Donetsk and Luhansk cities between 2014 and 2015.