Here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text:
* Who: Voislav Torden, a Russian national, is on trial. He previously operated under the alias Jan Petrovski.
* What: He is accused of war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014 while serving as a deputy commander in the Rusich paramilitary group. He was initially sentenced to life in prison by Helsinki’s District court.
* Where: The trial is taking place at the Helsinki court of Appeal in Finland. He was apprehended in Finland in 2023, which is why the trial is happening there.
* When: The appeal trial began on friday, January 23, 2025. The court of Appeal has allocated eight days for the proceedings. The crimes themselves occurred in 2014.
* Why: Torden is appealing his conviction and seeking dismissal of the charges.
* Specific Crimes:
* Participating in an armed attack on Ukrainian armed forces at a checkpoint in Luhansk, resulting in the death of a soldier (even though he didn’t fire the fatal shot, he’s held responsible).
* The brutal shooting of a wounded soldier, considered murder.
* Involvement in carving the rusich group’s symbol into a Ukrainian soldier’s cheek.
* Taking and disseminating demeaning photos of a fallen soldier.
* A policy of taking no prisoners.
