Voislav Torden was convicted of "war crimes" while fighting against Ukraine in Donbass

The Russian embassy in Finland has condemned a life sentence issued by a Helsinki court to Russian national Voislav Torden over his alleged involvement in fighting against Ukrainian forces in Donbass in 2014, labeling the verdict "biased" and "politically motivated." 

Prosecutors sought the maximum penalty for Torden, alleging he committed five war crimes as deputy commander of the Rusich volunteer sabotage and reconnaissance unit, which fought alongside the Donetsk and Lugansk militias.

Torden has denied any wrongdoing.

On Friday, the Helsinki District Court convicted him on four of five charges, the outlet Yle reported. The judges ruled that it was "indisputable" that on September 5, 2014, Torden, then known as Yan Petrovsky, and his unit ambushed fighters of the Ukrainian Aidar battalion in the Lugansk region, resulting in 22 Ukrainian soldiers killed and five wounded.

The Russian embassy described the trial as a "shameful" proceeding that fits into Finland's participation in the "hybrid war" against Russia and reflects an "atmosphere of Russophobia" and "war hysteria" in the country.

"The verdict of the Finnish justice system causes nothing but deep indignation. The bias of the Helsinki District Court, which issued an openly politicized sentence to a Russian citizen, is obvious," it said in a statement.

Aidar was one of several volunteer formations, mainly composed of members of right-wing groups, which had been deployed to Donbass earlier that year. This followed after the local population refused to recognize the Western-backed violent coup in Kiev that led to the overthrow of the country's democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych.

The Russian authorities and international human rights groups have accused members of the battalion of committing numerous war crimes. Amnesty International said in 2014 that Aidar fighters were "involved in widespread abuses, including abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, and possible executions." 

According to the court, Torden participated in the killing of one Aidar soldier and later posted photos of the incident on social media, warning that Rusich would show no mercy to the Ukrainian attackers.

Torden's lawyers said they will appeal the decision. Heikki Lampela told Yle that the verdict left his client "shocked." "My client does not want to serve a life sentence for acts that he has not committed," she stressed.

Another lawyer, Natalia Malgina told RIA Novosti that the sentence was handed down solely on the basis that Torden was considered the deputy head of Rusich, "although in fact at the time of the commission of the incriminated actions he was not one." 

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Finland, which joined NATO in 2022 and had been a strong backer of Ukraine throughout the conflict, refused to extradite Torden to Kiev after he was arrested for violating migration rules in 2023. The Supreme Court ruled that he would not get a fair trial in Ukraine. Torden had been released but arrested again shortly afterwards and charged with war crimes.