Finland refuses to extradite Petrovsky, one of leaders in Russian Rusich Group, to Ukraine

Helsingin Sanomat reports.

One of the reasons for refusing extradition to Ukraine was the unacceptable conditions of detention in Ukrainian prisons. This decision was based on the previous recognition by the European Court of Human Rights regarding the violation of the rights defined in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the conditions of detention in Ukrainian prisons. According to the Finnish court, in Ukraine, Petrovsky faces treatment that would humiliate his dignity. Petrovsky's representative, Heikki Lampela, stated that Petrovsky's sentence would soon expire.

Background. Yan Petrovsky was born in the Soviet Union and previously lived in Norway for a long time. He became known in this country for his far-right ties. According to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Petrovsky also took part in the Syrian war as part of a far-right group that fought on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Norway deported Petrovsky to Russia in 2016 because he was considered a security threat. In 2017, the man gave an interview to the Russian news site Meduza. He calls himself a "Russian nationalist and patriot."

• Yan Petrovsky, one of the leaders of the Russian Rusich group, who fought against Ukraine, was left in custody in Finland, and Kyiv requested his extradition.