Helsinki appeals court cuts Rusich deputy commander's sentence to 12.5 years

September 1, 2026 at 04:01 AM2 min

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The Helsinki Court of Appeal reduced Yan Petrovsky's sentence from life imprisonment to 12.5 years on August 31. Petrovsky, also known as Voislav Torden, was convicted of three war crimes in Ukraine. The court found insufficient evidence of his direct involvement in the shooting of wounded soldiers.

Key Facts

The Helsinki Court of Appeal sentenced Yan Petrovsky to 12.5 years in prison for three war crimes committed in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015.
The district court had sentenced Petrovsky to life imprisonment in March 2025 after convicting him of four war crimes.
Finnish prosecutors accused Petrovsky of involvement in the killing of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and wounding four others.
The appeals court rejected the charge that Petrovsky bore personal or command responsibility for the shooting of wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Finland's Supreme Court refused Ukraine's extradition request, citing poor prison conditions and the risk of an unfair trial in Ukraine.

Appeal Court Ruling

The Helsinki Court of Appeal reduced Yan Petrovsky's sentence from life imprisonment to 12.5 years on August 31. The court convicted Petrovsky of three war crimes, while the district court had found him guilty of four in March 2025. The appeals court ruled that Petrovsky did not bear personal or command responsibility for the shooting of wounded Ukrainian soldiers. However, the court found that Petrovsky opened fire on Ukrainian soldiers during an ambush that used a foreign flag, constituting a war crime.

Case Background

Petrovsky served as deputy commander of the Rusich sabotage and assault reconnaissance group, which fought alongside pro-Russian separatists near Luhansk in 2014-2015. Finnish prosecutors alleged that Petrovsky was involved in the killing of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and the wounding of four others. Petrovsky was detained by Finnish border guards in July 2023 while attempting to fly from Helsinki to Nice, and was arrested in December 2023 on suspicion of war crimes. The case is Finland's first criminal prosecution of a person suspected of war crimes in Ukraine.

Extradition Denial

Ukraine sought Petrovsky's extradition, but Finland's Supreme Court refused the request. The court cited poor conditions in Ukrainian prisons and the likelihood that Petrovsky would not receive a fair trial in Ukraine. Petrovsky is included in EU sanctions lists and is banned from entering Finland.