Finland cooperated with Ukraine to ensure that neo-Nazi Petrovsky received a life sentence – Office of the Prosecutor General
Yan Petrovsky (Photo: resource of the occupiers)

Finnish law enforcement officers cooperated with Ukrainian colleagues during the investigation of war crimes committed by Russian neo-Nazi Yan Petrovsky, who received a life sentence in 2025. This was stated in response to a LIGA.net request by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

In Ukraine, the case against Petrovsky was opened back in 2017, and the procedural guidance in it is carried out by prosecutors of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Armed Conflict.

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The charge is the creation of a terrorist group or organization. Under this classification, the neo-Nazi could receive a maximum of 15 years in prison with confiscation of property in Ukraine. Ultimately, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Finland, and in our country, he could have received the same punishment under the article on war crimes.

The Ukrainian investigation established that Petrovsky (call sign Slavyan) from April 2014 to August 2015 directly participated in illegal armed formations controlled by the terrorist LNR, namely in the so-called Diversionary-Assault Reconnaissance Group (DARG) "Rusich" of the rapid response group "Batman". Also, the General Prosecutor's Office adds, he "used firearms and engaged in direct combat" with Ukrainian defenders from the "Aidar" battalion.

Petrovsky became widely "famous" precisely because of a photo where he stands against the backdrop of the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers and burned-out equipment after an ambush by the occupiers on the "Aidar" column near Luhansk in September 2014 (photo 18+).

In 2023, Petrovsky was detained in Finland by local law enforcement. He had a residence permit in the name of Voislav Torden, and the occupier's wife studies at one of the local universities.

After the arrest, Ukraine officially requested the extradition of the neo-Nazi in order to prosecute him for crimes committed in illegal armed formations in the temporarily occupied territories, notes the General Prosecutor's Office.

However, the Supreme Court of Finland rejected this request due to "concerns about the conditions of detention in Ukrainian prisons." After that, Finnish law enforcement authorities launched their own criminal investigation into Petrovsky's war crimes.

During this process, the National Bureau of Investigation of Finland (a body within the local police) cooperated with the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine, the agency emphasized.

The General Prosecutor's Office notes that Ukraine provided materials collected during its investigation to Finland upon request, and also helped to gather evidence – additional questioning of victims and witnesses was conducted, including with the participation of representatives of the Finnish police. As a result of these joint actions, the neo-Nazi was charged with war crimes.

For four such incidents, Petrovsky received a life sentence in Finland in March 2025.

At the same time, the Finnish court rejected the accusation that Petrovsky, as the deputy leader of "Rusich," helped command the aforementioned ambush of the "Aidar" fighters and fired on the defenders.

  • Since 2004, Petrovsky has lived in Norway (he had a residence permit, which has expired) and has been actively involved in the activities of far-right organizations in Norway and Sweden.
  • Despite the fact that the neo-Nazi fought against Ukraine in 2014-2015, he continued to live in Norway until 2016, when he was detained by the Norwegian security service only for violating immigration law. And although Kyiv requested the extradition of Petrovsky, Norway simply deported him to the Russian Federation.
  • Neo-Nazis from the "Rusich" group continue to fight against Ukraine during the full-scale war.
FinlandextraditionYan Petrovskyoffice of the Prosecutor General