Finland’s police probing member of Russia’s neo-Nazi group earlier released by court

The Central Criminal Police of Finland has initiated a pre-trial investigation against Vojislav Torden (aka Yan Petrovsky), a known member of Russia’s Rusich neo-Nazi organization, who is suspected of crimes of terror in Ukraine.

This is reported by Yle, Ukrinform saw.

Deputy Prosecutor General Jukka Rappe has to decide in the coming days whether the full-blown investigation will be launched.

The decision will be made based on the case forwarded by Ukraine’s law enforcement. They provide arguments in favor of Torden's extradition to Ukraine, as well as justification of why the individual is suspected of terror-related crimes in Ukraine.

According to Finnish law, an alleged crime committed abroad can be investigated in Finland if it is appropriate "in the interests of the investigation and administration of justice".

The Supreme Court of Finland ruled yesterday that Torden cannot be extradited to Ukraine. The court claimed Torden could face in Ukraine treatment that degrades human dignity.

Torden is currently held in the detention center of the Border Guard Service.

Torden has been put on the EU and US sanctions lists under his original name, Yan Petrovsky. He is banned from entering Finland. The EU stated that Petrovsky had held the post of commander of the neo-Nazi group, Rusich. Ukraine accuses Petrovsky of cruel treatment of captured Ukrainian soldiers. However, he changed his name and managed to enter Finland holding a new passport.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Finnish border guards detained Torden on July 20, 2023 at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport at the boarding gate for a flight to Nice. The next day, the Helsinki District Court took him into custody under the Aliens Act.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Finland decided to immediately release him from custody. On the same day, it became known that Finnish border guards once again detained him.

Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva