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A Helsinki court has sentenced Russian national Voislav Torden to life imprisonment for committing four war crimes, according to a report by Finnish broadcaster Yle.
The prosecution had sought a life sentence for five war crimes committed by Torden in Ukraine in 2014, but the court dismissed one of the charges. The court established that Torden was a founding member of the pro-Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary group Rusich, which took part in an armed attack on Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Aidar Battalion in the Luhansk Region in the early months of the war between Ukraine and Russian-backed “separatist” forces in the Donbas.
According to the prosecution, evidence presented in court linked Torden to five criminal acts in Ukraine’s Luhansk Region on Sept. 5, 2014.
The defendant denied all charges, claiming he had no involvement in the ambush that resulted in the deaths of 22 Ukrainian soldiers. At the time, the now-38-year-old Torden was known under his previous name, Yan Petrovsky. The court ruled that Torden participated in the killing of a soldier and captured and shared degrading images of the fallen victim. He had also publicly stated online and on social media that Rusich would show no mercy.
During the trial, Torden claimed he traveled to Luhansk in 2014 for “humanitarian reasons” — allegedly intending to help the local population. In his testimony, he denied being a military commander and described Rusich leader Alexey Milchakov (known by the call sign “Serb”) as a “dictator.” His defense lawyers argued that Torden’s main activities in Luhansk involved producing propaganda and recruitment videos, as well as engaging in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
This case marks the first time Finland has prosecuted anyone for war crimes linked to the eleven-year conflict in Ukraine. The trial and sentencing took place in Finland because the Supreme Court ruled against Torden’s extradition to Ukraine. The decision was based on concerns over poor prison conditions in Ukraine and the assessment that Torden would not receive a fair trial there.
Following the onset of the war in Donbas in 2014, Torden gained notoriety for his sadistic cruelty. Alongside Milchakov, he engaged in looting and torturing Ukrainian prisoners, posting photos and videos of the abuse online.
Following Rusich’s failures in Ukraine, Petrovsky — who had by then been sanctioned by the EU, U.S., and Ukraine — changed his name to “Voislav Torden” and attempted to quietly reintegrate into Europe.
For more details on Petrovsky/Torden, read the full December 2023 profile by The Insider.