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Russian national detained in Finland for allegedly violating EU travel ban

According to the paper, Voislav Torden is banned from entering the Schengen zone by Norway and the Czech Republic

HELSINKI, January 29./TASS/. Russian national Voislav Torden, detained in Finland at the end of July, was accused of violating the ban on entry to the European Union, the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper said.

According to the paper, Torden is banned from entering the Schengen zone by Norway and the Czech Republic. "The court will discuss whether he acted intentionally and knew that he would not be allowed to enter Finland, even though he had the necessary documents for entry," prosecutor Saku Tielisen said.

The case will be reviewed on Tuesday by a court in the city of Kouvola.

Finland’s Central Criminal Police earlier demanded Torden be arrested for military crimes he committed in Ukraine. According to the arrest warrant, the alleged crimes took place in 2014-2015.

On December 8, the Finnish Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of Torden, 36, denying his extradition to Ukraine. Immediately after the release, Torden was detained by Finnish border guards.

Torden, who previously went by the name Jan Petrovsky, is a Russian citizen. He is on the sanctions lists of the European Union and the US Treasury Department. The Ukrainian side is seeking his extradition because of alleged crimes he committed in Donbass. The Russian was detained at Helsinki airport on July 20. The next day, the court ordered his detention for violating the republic's immigration laws.

The Russian Embassy in Finland told TASS earlier that Russian diplomats were closely following the development of the situation and were ready to further protect Torden's rights.