Russian mercenary crosses Finnish border using different name and wife's university admission

One of the leaders of the Russian militant group, Yan "Rusich" Petrovsky, who was detained in Finland, entered the country thanks to his new name and his wife's university admission. Source: European Pravda; Helsingin Sanomat; Petrovsky's lawyer Nataliia Malhina The mercenary's legal adviser reports that he received a residence permit in Finland, using the name of Voislav Torden, and thanks to the wife's university admission to one of the Finnish universities of applied sciences.

The man was added to the EU sanctions list under the name of Yan Petrovsky. He entered Finland by car through the Vaalimaa checkpoint on 19 July, accompanied by his wife and three children.

Petrovsky was detained in the lobby of Helsinki-Vantaa airport on 20 July on suspicion of immigration crimes when he was travelling with his family to Nice (France) to visit his relatives. Early reports indicate that the Office of the Prosecutor General is preparing materials for Petrovsky's extradition.

The Russian citizen appears in the investigation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) "on suspicion of participating in a terrorist organisation." Investigation indicates that Petrovsky, together with terrorists of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, fought against Ukraine as part of the "Rusich" sabotage and assault group in 2014. He was one of the group's leaders.

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Finnish media reported that Yan Petrovsky was arrested in Finland on Friday.

The man was added to the EU and US sanctions list for actions that threaten the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and the country's security. Petrovsky, who lived in Norway for several years in his youth, also participated in the war in Syria as part of a far-right group fighting on the side of the regime of President Bashaar al-Assad. Norway deported the man to Russia in 2016 because he was considered a security threat.

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