Russian Militant to Remain in Custody in Finland despite Ukraine Seeking His Extradition

A district court in Finland has ruled to keep Yan Petrovsky, also known as Vojislav Torden, in custody. He is suspected of committing terrorist crimes in Ukraine.

As reported by Yle broadcasting company, the court ruled to extend Petrovsky's detention on Monday, 11 December.

The Border Guard Service had requested that the detention be extended.

The district court ordered the concealment of the detainee's identity, yet Yle reported that the court proceedings concerned Petrovsky.

The suspect was released on Friday after Finland's Supreme Court ruled that Finland could not extradite him to Ukraine for trial due to poor conditions in the country's prisons.

However, the Finnish Border Guard promptly took Petrovsky back into custody under the Aliens Act [regulates the entry and residence of foreigners in the country – ed.].

The Finnish Central Criminal Police launched an investigation into Yan Petrovsky.

The Finnish media reported on Petrovsky's detention in Finland on 25 August.

The suspect was included in the EU and US sanctions lists for actions that threaten the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department reports that Petrovsky has been the commander of the Rusich group, a Russian neo-Nazi military group and terrorist organisation, since 2022. Before that, it was led by Alexei Milchakov, a neo-Nazi mercenary also subject to sanctions.

US officials say Petrovsky assumed primary responsibility for the command of the Russian militants after Milchakov was injured in the 2022 battle for Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has prepared files for Petrovsky's extradition. The investigation suggests that in 2014, Petrovsky, acting together with "LPR" [Russian-backed "Luhansk People's Republic" – ed.] terrorists, fought against Ukraine as a member of the so-called Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group Rusich.