A suspected Russian right-wing extremist and militia commander has been detained in Finland on suspicion of participating in and supporting a terrorist group, according to local media.
A detention hearing was to take place on Friday in a district court near Helsinki, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle. Police are requesting that the 36-year-old be detained in preparation for his extradition.
According to court documents, he was allegedly involved in atrocities during fighting in 2014 and 2015 in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. According to Russian sources, Ukraine is demanding his extradition.
The Russian embassy in Helsinki said it was providing consular assistance to a Russian citizen, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
Finnish media outlets have reported that the man is a commander of the nationalist militia Rusich, which also has connections to the Russian Wagner mercenary group.
The Telegram channel Grey Zone, which is associated with the Wagner Group, also reported on Friday that the suspect had been detained in Finland a month ago.
