Finnish court condemned war criminals: life for Torden!

Finnish court condemned war criminals: life for Torden!

Helsinki, Finnland - On March 14, 2025, a district court in Helsinki sentenced a Russian citizen, Voislav Torden, to life imprisonment. Torden, former commander of the right -wing extremist paramilitary group Rusich, was convicted of four different war crimes, which he is said to have committed in 2014 against Ukrainian soldiers during the fights in eastern Ukraine. This is the first case in which a Finnish court condemned someone for war crimes in Ukraine, which is described by the Ukrainian Attorney General as a "key milestone" for the criminal responsibility of international war criminals.

The conviction of Torden refers to an armed attack on soldiers of a Ukrainian battalion in the Luhansk region. During the attack, Torden is said to have been involved in the killing of a Ukrainian soldier and took humiliating photos of the deceased, which he spread on social media. These allegations were denied by Torden. His lawyer, Heikki Lampela, said that Torden was surprised by the judgment and that appeal would be made.

background to the procedure

The trial against Torden began on December 5, 2023 and was underpinned by extensive evidence, including videos that document the actions of his group. Torden is accused of massacred in September 2014, under his command, 22 Ukrainian soldiers and seriously injured four more. The paramilitary group Rusich, known for its extremist background, attacked the Ukrainian soldiers with shots and rockets, with at least four wounded soldiers being shot after the attack.

In August 2023, Torden was arrested by the Finnish border protection authorities. Despite an EU-wide entry ban due to his warlike activities, he was charged in Finland. The Finnish Supreme Court had decided that extradition to Ukraine could not take place, since the conditions in the Ukrainian prisons are estimated to be poor and no fair procedure was guaranteed. This increases the importance of Finnish legal prosecution, which could now serve as a possible model for similar cases in the future.

international relevance

The conviction of Torden is part of a wider context of war crimes that are related to the Russian attack on Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, but also the conflicts that started in 2014. It is estimated that this conflict has caused serious humanitarian crises, with hundreds of thousands of fatalities and massive injuries to human rights. Russia's aggression is accompanied by massive violations of humanitarian international law, and Ukraine has registered over 109,000 cases of war crimes.

These developments are internationally awakened in a fair persecution of war criminals. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against the highest Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin, which increases the importance of this case law. A coalition of 47 countries has formed to support Ukraine in the persecution of crimes against international law.

In the coming months, it will be crucial how Finland and other countries deal with the challenge, to prepare and treat similar cases of war crimes, while the international community exerts pressure on Russia to end the comprehensive violations of human rights.