Yan Petrovsky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Other name | Voislav Torden |
| Nicknames | "Slavyan", "Veliky Slavyan" |
| Born | (1987-01-01)1 January 1987 (age 38) |
| Allegiance |  Luhansk People's Republic(2014–2015) Russia(2015–present) |
| Branch |  Rusich Group |
| Commands | DShRG "Rusich" (2022) |
| Battles / wars | |
Yan Igorevich Petrovsky (Russian:Ян Игоревич Петровский, born 1 January 1987[better source needed][1]), also known by hisnom de guerre "Slavyan" (Russian:Славян,lit. 'Slav') and his new legal nameVoislav Torden (Russian: Воислав Торден), is a Russianneo-Nazi, militant and convicted war criminal,[2] known for being a leader of thefar-rightRusich Group paramilitary unit.
Presumably, Yan Petrovsky is designated as the commander of the Zimargl detachment of theRusich Group, "one of the special separate units formed for operational and reconnaissance tasks on the territory of Ukraine".[3] According to theUS Department of the Treasury, in 2022 he took over as commander of the Group after the leaderAlexey Milchakov was woundednear Kharkiv.[4]
Petrovsky was arrested inFinland in July 2023 at the request of the Ukrainian government, who sought to extradite him for war crimes committed during thewar in Donbas. The extradition request was rejected due to human rights concerns, but Petrovsky was arrested and charged for the same crimes by the Finnish authorities, who claimeduniversal jurisdiction over the case.[5] On 14 March 2025 Petrovsky was sentenced to life imprisonment.[2]
Yan Petrovsky was born in 1987 inIrkutsk,Russian SFSR. With his mother, he moved toSt. Petersburg. As a child, he was fond of history and participated in the reconstruction of medieval battles. He was going to study as an architect or graphic designer in Russia, but in 2004 his mother married a Norwegian. Petrovsky left Russia with her. He studied inOslo as a graphic designer.[6]
After graduating from university, Petrovsky began working at the "True Metal Tattoo" tattoo parlor, an institution famous for regular gatherings ofNeo-Nazis from Eastern Europe.[6] Petrovsky patrolled the streets ofTønsberg as part of theSoldiers of Odin and was involved with the neo-NaziNordic Resistance Movement.[7][3][8] In 2010, the police carried out a raid there. Petrovsky and his associates were detained. During a search in the parlor, forged documents and weapons were found. The police found that the weapon belonged to the Russian radical nationalistViacheslav Datsik.[9]
Petrovsky is tattooed in pagan and nationalist symbolics:Black Sun,Valknut and variousrunes. In an interview for Novorossiya TV in 2015 he explained he came to Ukraine to fight against "Khazar kaghanate".[10]
Milchakov and Petrovsky met at a paramilitary training program of the terrorist groupRussian Imperial Movement.[11]
In 2014, hewent to Donbas, where he fought against the Ukrainian army. During this period, pictures appeared on the Internet in which Petrovsky poses against the background of deceased Ukrainian soldiers.[12][13] In the summer of 2015,Rusich Group fighters announced that they were leaving Donbass. One of the reasons of Rusich leaving the fighting was a conflict with the leader of theLuhansk People's Republic,Igor Plotnitsky.[6]
NRK also reports Petrovsky's participation in theSyrian civil war on the side of PresidentBashar al-Assad.[14]
In 2016, Yan Petrovsky was deprived of aresidence permit in Norway because he stayed abroad too long, and was arrested for violating immigration laws, after which he was deported. The Norwegian authorities called Petrovsky a "threat to the security" of the country. Petrovsky was arrested at the home of a leading Nordic Resistance Movement member Ronny Bårdsen.[15][16][17][18] Petrovsky also built a close relationship with theFinnish far-right.[19][20]
Since 2015, he has been an active member of theUnion of Donbass Volunteers.[21] In 2020, he was appointed head of theNorthwestern branch of the Union.[22]
In 2017, he became head of the Military Patriotic Club Rusich, which cooperates intimately with the76th Air Assault Division.[23]
From the very beginning of theRusso-Ukrainian war, he commanded theZimargl reconnaissance unit, which invaded theKharkiv Oblast through a checkpoint near the village of Pletenivka. He was in charge of the Rusich Group after Milchakov was wounded.[24][25]
In June 2022, Petrovsky appeared at the funeral of Rusich soldier captain Alexey Pozharov, Fontanka wrote. There, he actually confirmed the participation of the Rusich Group in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[12][3]
Petrovsky was involved[when?] in providing Sierra Leone's presidentJulius Maada Bio with military support and bringing him to power.[26]
On 20 July 2023, Yan Petrovsky was arrested by the Finnish police inHelsinki-Vantaa Airport.[27][28]Ukraine requested the extradition of Yan Petrovsky. TheRussian Embassy in Helsinki toldRIA Novosti that it had been informed about “the detention of a Russian national in Finland at Kyiv’s request” and that it was “taking measures to provide consular assistance.” Later,Rusich Group announced on itsTelegram channel that the task force was halting “any combat missions” until “Slavyan” (Petrovsky) was extradited to Russia.[29]
Petrovsky had entered Finland under the name of Voislav Torden with his wife and three children on 19 July through theVaalimaa border crossing. According to Petrovsky's lawyer, his intention was that his children "obtain Nordic education" and his wife was already offered a place to study in one of Finnish universities.[30][31] Petrovsky also visited Finland on tourist visa in 2022 under the new identity of Torden, hoping to visit family in France before they settled in Finland, and Petrovsky was only detained on 20 July in Helsinki airport, shortly before their flight to France. According to Petrovsky's legal counsel, he was only involved in "political activity" in Ukraine but Finnish media referred to a number of interviews Petrovsky gave in Russia, describing his military activities as acombatant during thewar in Donbas.[28] In October 2023 the efforts to release Petrovsky from the detainment centre by his lawyers continued, but a Finnish court upheld the decision for him to remain detained until the extradition ruling is made.[32]
TheSupreme Court of Finland rejected Ukraine's extradition request, citing "conditions in Ukrainian prisons", ordering Petrovsky's release from Finnish prison on December 8, 2023.[33] He was taken into custody by theFinnish Border Guard, with theProsecutor General of Finland andPolice of Finland looking into the possibility of opening a criminal case against him within the Finnish legal framework[34] on charges ofwar crimes committed against surrendered Ukrainian soldiers.[35] On 18 December, a Finnish court ordered Petrovsky remanded in custody, pending charges of aggravated war crimes.[36]
The investigation was concluded on 11 October 2024, and on 31 October Petrovsky was formally charged with war crimes.[37] In September 2014, Petrovsky and several other Rusich soldiers participated in an ambush against a Ukrainian unit. The soldiers had deceived the Ukrainians byraising a Ukrainian flag before attacking them, killing 22 and wounding four.[38] One Ukrainian soldier, Ivan Issyk, had akolovrat symbol carved into his cheek by the soldiers; he later died of his injuries. Another soldier who was killed during the engagement had pictures of his body posted on social media by Petrovsky himself.[39]
On 14 March 2025 Petrovsky was convicted of four of the five charges against him. He was acquitted of organising the illegal ambush on the grounds that other militant groups had led the operation, but was found guilty of murder, mutilation and publishing degrading images of the dead.[40] Petrovsky was sentenced to life imprisonment, and was ordered to pay compensation to the family of one of the victims.[2]
In 2022, the Rusich Group and its commanders Milchakov and Petrovsky were included in the US sanctions list for their "special cruelty" in the battles in theKharkiv Oblast.[41][42]
Jan Petrovski (nyk. Voislav Torden) on ollut mukana Soldiers of Odinin ja Pohjoismaisen vastarintaliikkeen toiminnassa.[Jan Petrovski (now Voislav Torden) has been involved in the activities of Soldiers of Odin and the Nordic resistance movement.]
Milchakov and Rusich co-founder Yan Petrovsky had met at a Russian Imperial Movement paramilitary training program, according to The Times.
Several of the people who were involved are relatively well-known figures within neo-Nazi circles, such as Ronny Bårdsen, one of the leading figures in the Nordic Resistance (via Google Translate)
Yan Petrovskii, was a neo-Nazi who used to live in Norway and built a close relationship with members of the Finnish far-right organization Soldiers of Odin.
Milchakov's deputy Yan Petrovsky (alias Voislav Torden) is jailed in Finland awaiting trial. He built strong connections with Scandinavian nazis, including members of the Nordic Resistance Movement, which was recently proscribed by the US authorities as a terrorist organisation.
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