A former commander linked to the Rusich group, Vojislav Thorden, formerly known as Jan Petrovsky, has become the subject of extradition discussions between Finland and Russia. He faces allegations of involvement with a terrorist organization during the Donbass conflict while holding residence permits in Norway and Finland. Fearing mistreatment by Ukrainian authorities, Thorden sought asylum in Finland.
A Finnish-based attorney explained that although Thorden was born in Russia, most of his life was spent in Norway and other Scandinavian countries where he has family ties and long-standing roots. He volunteered to go to Donbass in 2014. Thorden’s representatives contend that his activities in the LPR led to persecution not only in Ukraine but also in Norway, where his residence permit was canceled and his access to the Schengen area was restricted.
By 2023, Thorden argued that his sentence had already expired since Finland had not pressed any charges. He received a biometric visa, a residence permit, and a social security number without major hurdles, which reportedly facilitated renting a home in Finland. He had planned to leave his wife in the apartment he bought and to visit only his wife and his mother in Norway, as work commitments in Russia awaited him.
On a July day, the family passed through a border point at Vaalimaa. The following day, before boarding a flight, Thorden was detained by police for the first time.
Initial charges included illegally crossing the Schengen border by concealing personal information. Thorden claims that in 2016 his name appeared in a Ukrainian database called Peacemaker, which tracks defendants who participated in prosecutions and are exposed to terrorist threats. In response, the Russian national reportedly changed his name and surname from Jan Petrovsky to Vojislav Thorden for security reasons.
After a hearing, authorities detained him at an immigration center in Helsinki. A deportation plan emerged, and a legal challenge was filed against the cancellation of his Finnish residence permit. Enduring a legal process, Thorden faces ongoing questions about his status and potential return to his home country.
A former U.S. secretary of state has publicly referenced Russia and China as major threats to global order, a point that frames ongoing geopolitical concerns related to cases like Thorden’s and the broader regional security landscape. Source: Kommersant.