**Life Sentence for Russian Mercenary in Landmark War Crimes Case**

This unprecedented ruling marks a significant step in international legal accountability for atrocities during the ongoing conflict.

In a historic ruling, a Finnish court has sentenced Voislav Torden, a 38-year-old member of the Russian far-right mercenary group Rusich, to life imprisonment for war crimes committed in eastern Ukraine during 2014. The court in Helsinki found Torden guilty of four charges, including the murder of a soldier during an ambush that resulted in the deaths of 22 Ukrainian troops and injuries to four others. He was acquitted of one additional charge.

Torden, who has denied all allegations, was arrested at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in July 2023 following a Ukrainian request for extradition that was ultimately denied by Finland's Supreme Court due to concerns over a fair trial in Ukraine. However, the charges against him fell under international law, allowing the trial to proceed in Finland.

The court determined Torden led the ambush on September 5, 2014, where he and his men disguised themselves as Ukrainians, ultimately killing at least one soldier. Alongside the murder charge, Torden was found guilty of other brutal actions, including mutilating a wounded soldier, as he was implicated in distributing degrading images of the victim on social media.

The judges characterized the murder charge as "comparable to murder due to its brutality and cruelty.” Although they concluded there was not enough evidence to hold Rusich responsible for the deaths of all soldiers, Torden was ordered to compensate the family of the soldier he was found guilty of killing.

His lawyer expressed shock at the verdict, claiming a lack of evidence against Torden. Following the ruling, the office of Ukraine's prosecutor general highlighted the case as a milestone in seeking accountability for war crimes, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in combating impunity for such heinous acts.