Helsinki Court sends Russian citizen to life term for war crimes

The Helsinki District Court on Friday sentenced a Russian national to life term imprisonment for committing war crimes in Ukraine, local and international media reported.

The court awarded the punishment to Voislav Torden as the allegations of killing a soldier and taking and disseminating degrading pictures of the fallen soldier, brought against him were proved beyond doubt.

The court in the verdict said that Torden was a member of the far-right Rusich paramilitary group, which fought against Ukraine in the Luhansk region more than 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine appreciated Finnish authorities for the conviction.

“The Helsinki District Court sentenced a Russian citizen, a member of the ‘Rusich’ unit, to life imprisonment for war crimes in Ukraine. Ukraine deeply appreciates the efforts of KRP (National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Finnish prosecutors who made this conviction possible,” Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine wrote in a post on its social media platform X after the verdict.

This case marks a key milestone in holding perpetrators of grave violations of international humanitarian law accountable, it said.

“Ukraine remains committed to working with partners worldwide to ensure there is no impunity for war criminals,” the post added.

Earlier in 2023, Finnish Border Guard arrested Torden after he arrived in Finland and later tried to leave using a fake passport.

The NBI started investigation into the acts allegedly constituting criminal offences committed against Ukrainian soldiers in Eastern Ukraine prior to the present war.

According to Finnish court ruling, the Russian citizen cannot be extradited to Ukraine for human rights ground.