Finnish PM confirms detention of former Wagner Group fighter who sought asylum
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has confirmed that border guards detained a former Wagner Group fighter in June after he requested asylum in Finland.
As reported by Yle, a Finnish public service media company, a Russian national who had fought in Ukraine with the Wagner Group crossed the border near the town of Kitee in North Karelia and was detained.
Orpo stated that he had been informed about the detention back in June and that the authorities are handling the case in accordance with standard procedures.
"Border guards have detained him and he is being interrogated," he added. "The authorities will decide how to proceed with him."
Yle reported that the Russian man is suspected of violating the state border, and Finnish police are also investigating whether there are grounds to initiate other criminal proceedings based on his background.
The Finnish prime minister noted that neither Ukraine nor Russia has so far submitted any enquiries regarding the detained former Wagner fighter.
In March, the Helsinki District Court in Finland found Voislav Tordenin (Jan Petrovsky), the founder and former commander of the Rusich military group, guilty of committing war crimes in Ukraine and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
In February last year, Tordenin was sentenced to two years in prison in Finland for twice violating a ban on entering the country.
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19 of July 2025
