Initially, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, but it was decided to reduce it to 12 years and six months in prison.
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Vojislav Torden, former deputy leader of the Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary group “Rusich,” was found guilty last year in Helsinki of war crimes committed during an ambush in the Luhansk region of Eastern Ukraine.
During that attack on the Ukrainian military convoy, 22 Ukrainians were killed and another four were injured.
V. Torden was found guilty of leading the actions of the “Rusich” fighters during the ambush and of killing one wounded soldier.
He was also found guilty of allowing fighters to mutilate Ivan Isyk by cutting the group’s symbol – the “spoked wheel” – into his cheek. I. Isyk died from the injuries sustained.
V. Torden was also found guilty of taking humiliating photos of the deceased soldier at the scene and sharing them on social media.
However, the Helsinki Court of Appeal on Monday ruled that there is insufficient evidence to state that V. Torden killed or injured the mentioned Ukrainian soldiers.
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The court found that he participated in the ambush and fired a light machine gun at Ukrainian soldiers, which constitutes a war crime.
The court statement also noted that he did not hold a leadership position that would make him responsible for the shooting of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal rejected the previous conclusion that he allowed fighters to cut I. Isyk’s cheek, stating that although this incident occurred, it does not reach the level of a war crime.
The court agreed that V. Torden is guilty of taking humiliating photos of the deceased soldier at the scene and sharing them on social media.
V. Torden was tried in Finland after being detained there, as Helsinki refused to extradite him to Ukraine.
Finland applies “universal jurisdiction” – this legal principle allows charges to be brought on its territory for suspected serious crimes committed anywhere in the world.
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The Court of Appeal’s decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
