NBI Completes Preliminary Investigation into Russian Neo-Nazis’ Alleged War Crimes in Ukraine | Yle news

Finnish prosecutors expect to file charges against Voislav Torden in the next few weeks.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has completed its preliminary investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine in 2014.

The NBI suspects Voislav Torden (also known as Yan Petrovsky), the former commander of the Russian far-right paramilitary group Rusich, a serious war crime and several other war crimes.

“The alleged crimes took place in eastern Ukraine in the fall of 2014,” said Chief Inspector Olli Töyräswho led the NBI investigation.

The investigation included interviews conducted in Ukraine and Finland, including several interrogations of Torden. The interviews in Ukraine were conducted by local authorities in the presence of NBI representatives.

Online videos as evidence

In addition to interviewing witnesses, investigators collected material online, including videos posted on open sources.

According to Töyräs, the police were able to verify that the person appearing in the videos was Torden. This may have been easier, as photos of him from this period show him with extensive, distinctive tattoos.

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A previous trial for foreign war crimes in Finland failed, among other things, because the identity of the suspects – who were identical twin brothers – could not be clearly confirmed based on war videos filmed in Iraq in 2014.

Töyräs declined to specify what type of events were documented in the videos. Authorities have collected hundreds of pages of preliminary investigative material.

The NBI cooperated with the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo), the Finnish Border Guard, the Finnish Armed Forces and various international authorities in the investigation.

The NBI hands over the preliminary investigation material to prosecutors, who will examine the charges. The deadline to file a lawsuit is October 31st.

Prosecutor: Clear dates and times of crimes

Deputy Attorney General Jukka Rappe Yle said he expects his office will file charges by then.

Rappe noted that although a decade has passed since the events, officials were able to locate large numbers of people in Ukraine and Finland who could testify about them.

“The overall picture of events emerged remarkably well during the course of the investigation. We know specific dates and even times. The presentation of the cases seems quite convincing,” he said.

Torden was arrested in Finland in August 2023.

The Supreme Court of Finland has ruled that he cannot be extradited to Ukraine. It cited poor prison conditions there and concerns that Torden would not receive a fair trial.

Meanwhile, members of Torden’s neo-Nazi Rusich militia said last week they were patrolling areas along Finland’s southeastern border.