A Finnish court sentenced Russian fighter jets to life in 2014 for war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers.
The Russians were sentenced to life in prison in Finland for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
The Finland capital, Helsinki, Regional Court on Friday determined that Voislav Torden, the commander of the then far-right Russian nationalist paramilitary group Rusich, was involved in four different war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers during a battle in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Toden was arrested in Finland in the summer of 2023 and reconciles the 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia. The incident includes armed attacks on soldiers of the Ukrainian battalion in the Luhansk region.
According to the court, Toden was involved in the murder of the soldiers. He also reportedly deteriorated the photos of the deceased, which later became popular.
Ukraine is “an important milestone”
The 38-year-old defendant denied the allegation before the court, reported Finnish broadcaster YLE. His lawyer, Heiki Lampera, told the Finnish media he would be pleading with Toden astonished by the ruling.
Yle reported that this was the first case in which a Finnish court convicted someone of a war crime in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office praised the court’s decision as “an important milestone in holding liability to perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
“Ukraine remains committed to working with partners around the world to ensure that war criminals are free of immunity,” he said in a statement posted on social media.
Russia condemned the verdict, and motivated the lawsuit against its citizens “shameful” and politically motivated.
“The Finnish judicial verdict only causes deep rage and digging. The Russian Embassy in Finland said in a statement.
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