According to the prosecutor, the Russian Voislav Torden participated in the killing of more than 20 Ukrainian soldiers in an ambush by the Rusich military group in eastern Ukraine. Torden denies the charges.
An extraordinary trial has begun in the Helsinki district court, when a Russian accused of war crimes Voislav Tordenia sits in the dock.
Tordenia, whose former name is Jan Petrovskiis accused of five war crimes in eastern Ukraine in September 2014. Prosecutors are demanding a life sentence for him.
This is the first time that Finland has brought charges for suspected war crimes in Ukraine.
Torden’s lawyer Weak Lampela told before the start of the trial that Torden will deny all war crimes charges.
– He participates in this trial with confidence. When he is heard, he believes that then the charges will be dropped.
Atrocities were filmed and published
The charges are related to Torden’s activities in the paramilitary Rusich military group, which has fought on the side of the Russian-backed Luhansk separatist region against Ukraine.
In September 2014, the group killed 22 Ukrainian soldiers and seriously wounded four.
According to the indictment, the group misled the Ukrainian flag, misusing Ukrainian soldiers to stop at a checkpoint. The group fired with rifle-caliber weapons at the two-car motorcade formed by a truck and a car and at the soldiers. The group also fired a Shmel rocket that destroyed the cars.
Immediately after the ambush, the group shot and killed at least four wounded soldiers.
According to the indictment, Torden, as deputy commander of the Rusitš unit, led his subordinates and also shot Ukrainian soldiers himself.
In the situation, 21 soldiers died immediately and one died later.
According to the indictment, Torden also allowed his subordinate to mutilate an incapacitated Ukrainian soldier by cutting into his face the symbol used by the group.
He is also accused of insulting the honor of a Ukrainian soldier by posing on social media and the internet with the body of a slain ancient soldier. He is also accused of spreading a similar image of the group’s commander
Torden is alleged to have made announcements on the internet and social media in advance as deputy chief, according to which the force does not give mercy and does not take prisoners.
The prosecutor’s proof of the crimes largely consists of videos of the situation, as Rusitš has filmed and published material of his violent acts and activities.
Survivors of the events will also be heard at the trial.
Rusich is considered a neo-Nazi group. According to Lampela, the group is not neo-Nazi in ideology, but considers that all Slavic groups are equal.
Lampela says that Torden left Norway for the Luhansk People’s Republic to prevent the Russians living there from being oppressed.
Torden was not extradited to Ukraine
The trial will be held in Finland, as Torden cannot be extradited to Ukraine.
Ukraine demanded that Finland extradite Torden, but the Supreme Court decided that the extradition request cannot be agreed to.
The reason is the poor conditions of Ukrainian prisons and the assessment that Torden would not receive a fair trial in Ukraine.
Torden was caught in Finland in August of last year, when the Border Guard recognized him. Torden is on the EU sanctions list under his previous name and is banned from entering Finland.
He was imprisoned on suspicion of war crimes in December of last year.
The protection police warned in September that the incident could endanger Finns in and traveling to Russia. Russia could blackmail Finland by imprisoning Finns and want to exchange them for Torden.
War crimes and mass murders in Rwanda, Iraq and the second civil war in Liberia have previously been dealt with in court in Finland.