(MENAFN) Reports from local media in Finland indicate that a court in the southern Kymmenlaakso region has sentenced Russian far-right paramilitary figure Yan Petrovsky for border offenses. Petrovsky, purportedly associated with Rusich, a neo-Nazi unit of the Wagner group, was found guilty of breaching an entry ban to Finland. The court handed down a suspended prison sentence of 40 days along with a fine of €80 (approximately USD86), as reported by a Finnish broadcaster on Tuesday.
Petrovsky's legal troubles in Finland trace back to his detention in July at Helsinki Airport, where he was apprehended on separate terrorism charges at the behest of Ukraine. He was intercepted while attempting to board a flight to France using a counterfeit passport. Ukrainian authorities claim Petrovsky was involved with pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine under the banner of Rusich between 2014 and 2015.
Despite being listed on EU sanctions and banned from entering Finland, Petrovsky sought asylum in Finland using the alias Voislav Torden. It is alleged that Petrovsky managed to enter Finland in 2022 and 2023 under false identification as Voislav Torden.
Furthermore, reports suggest Petrovsky may have committed war crimes during the 2014-2015 conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, as reported by Germany's news agency. Despite Ukraine's extradition request, Finland's Supreme Court declined to extradite Petrovsky in December, citing concerns over the possibility of inhumane prison conditions in Ukraine, according to the broadcaster.
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