sep 6, 2023 - Al-Jazeera: Russian held in Finland said to be key figure in far-right Wagner affiliate

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Russian held in Finland said to be key figure in far-right Wagner affiliate

Suspect Yan Petrovsky is said to be a fighter in the Wagner-associated ‘Rusich’ – the Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group.

He reportedly helped to found Rusich as an explicitly neo-Nazi, pro-Russia unit during the opening stages of the conflict in the Donbas in 2014 .

This unit fought on the Russian side in early efforts to undermine Ukraine and divide Ukrainian territory.

One of the key accusations made by Russian propaganda was that Russian forces invaded Ukraine to eliminate purported Nazi-influenced, right-wing elements on the Ukraine side.



26 Aug 2023
An alleged member of an extreme right-wing military sub-unit of the Wagner mercenary force has been arrested in Finland on charges of participation in a “terrorist group”, following a request from Ukraine, according to reports.

A detention hearing was scheduled to take place on Friday in a district court near Helsinki, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle. Finnish police are requesting that the 36-year-old Russian national, identified as Yan Petrovsky, be detained in preparation for his extradition.

According to court documents, Petrovsky was allegedly involved in atrocities during fighting in 2014 and 2015 in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Germany’s DPA news agency reported.

Russian state-run news agencies RIA and TASS reported on Friday that the Russian embassy in Helsinki was aware of the detention of a Russian citizen in Finland on Ukraine’s request and was taking steps to offer consular assistance.

Social media channels linked to Russia’s Wagner mercenaries said on Friday that the suspect was a key fighter with the Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group – “Rusich” – which is affiliated with Wagner.

According to reports cited by the Reuters news agency, Petrovsky is a founding member and leader of the Rusich unit and has been under European Union and United States sanctions since last year. He reportedly helped to found Rusich as an explicitly neo-Nazi unit during the opening stages of the conflict in the Donbas in 2014.

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