Man Accused Of Alleged War Crimes In Separatist Region Of Ukraine Stands Trial In Finland

A man has gone on trial in Finland on charges of war crimes allegedly committed against Ukrainian forces in a Russia-backed separatist region of Ukraine in 2014.

Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for the defendant at the trial which opened Thursday at the Helsinki district court, public broadcaster YLE reported.

The suspect’s name was not given when the charges were announced, but Finnish media have identified him as Russian national Yan Petrovsky, who had been living in Finland under the alias Voislav Torden.

His lawyer, Heikki Lampela, said he would deny all the charges.

The suspect was arrested in July 2023 at Helsinki Airport as he was headed for Nice, France, with his family.

Read more: AP