Finnish appeal court reduces war criminal Voislav Torden's prison sentence

The Helsinki Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of Russian citizen Voislav Torden, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court in March 2025. The Helsinki District Court had found Torden guilty of three war crimes in Ukraine in 2014, instead of the originally four charges. Torden, previously known as Yan Petrovsky, was accused of leading a Rusich paramilitary unit that ambushed Ukrainian soldiers in September 2014, deceiving them by displaying a Ukrainian flag at a checkpoint.

When the Ukrainians stopped, Rusich fighters opened fire, resulting in the deaths of 22 Ukrainian soldiers. The appeal court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Torden personally shot the wounded soldiers or was responsible for giving the order. However, they acknowledged that Torden participated in the ambush and had some involvement in the killings.

Consequently, the court sentenced Torden to 12 and a half years in prison. Torden denies any involvement in combat operations with the Rusich unit, claiming he was making propaganda and recruitment videos in the region. The trial took place in Finland because Torden entered the country from Russia in 2023 via the Vaalimaa border crossing, subject to an entry ban for the Schengen area.

He was detained at Helsinki Airport upon his return and was later found on an EU sanctions list. Finland's Supreme Court ruled that Torden could not be extradited to Ukraine due to poor prison conditions and concerns about a fair trial. The case was initially tried in the Helsinki District Court, where Torden appealed the verdict earlier this year.