The Russian neo-Nazi group Rusich, which is suspected of war crimes in Ukraine, has demanded the extradition of a Russian man arrested by Finnish police to Russia according to the Russian newspaper The Moscow Times. The Ukrainian government has also asked for the man to be extradited to Ukraine.
The 36-year-old Voislav Torden, formerly known as Jan Petrovskiy, is suspected of terrorism crimes in eastern Ukraine.
The Rusich group wrote on Telegram on Friday that it would stop taking part in combat missions in Ukraine until Torden is handed over.
"In the meantime, we will rest and mind our own business. If a country cannot protect its citizens, why should citizens protect their country?" the group said in a message directed towards the Russian government.
The Russian embassy commented on Telegram that the Russian neo-Nazi arrested in Finland did not contact Russian diplomats after his detention.
According to a message from the consulate, the man was arrested at the airport on 20 July while travelling from Helsinki to Nice.
The Helsinki District Court decided to detain Torden on 21 July on the basis of the Aliens Act, and the Eastern Uusimaa District Court decided on Friday to prolong his detention.
The man is suspected of participating in the activities of a terrorist group and supporting the activities of a terrorist group in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The suspected terrorism offences took place in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine.
According to media reports, Ukraine also requested that Finland extradite Torden to Ukraine.
According to a message from the Russian embassy in Helsinki, they received information about the arrest of the Russian and the Ukrainian extradition request from the police on 23 August. Torden contacted the embassy the same day.
The embassy said it has reached an agreement to meet the man in prison in the coming days.
Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen did not comment on Torden's extradition on Yle 1's Ykkösaamu talk show programme.
"The extradition decisions are secret and I cannot comment on them. The authorities are, of course, on top of the matter. The process is being handled in accordance with our own law and in compliance with international treaties and law," Valtonen said.
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