A Russian citizen who fought on the side of the so-called "LPR" and is suspected of committing five war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014 will be tried in Finland, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) reports.

"The Deputy Prosecutor General of Finland brought charges in the Helsinki District Court against a russian citizen arrested in Finland, suspected of committing five war crimes in Ukraine in 2014," the department said on its Telegram channel on Thursday.

According to the PGO, the charges are related to the suspect's activities in the Rusich unit, which fought on the side of the so-called "LPR".

"According to the Finnish investigation, the suspect, as deputy commander of the unit, took part in actions that violated the laws and customs of war. As a result of these actions, he and the soldiers of the unit killed 22 Ukrainian servicemen and seriously wounded four," the message says.

In addition, the Russian citizen is accused of actions contrary to the laws and customs of war in connection with the method of conducting military operations and the treatment of wounded and killed enemy soldiers.

"The charges are considered international crimes in Finland under Finnish law. The suspect cannot be extradited to Ukraine, which means Finland has launched its own investigation," it is explained in the message.

The charges in the trial are being brought by two prosecutors who specialize in war and international crimes.

In 2016, Ukrainian law enforcement officers reported suspicion to the said person for participation in a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

In August 2023, the Office of the Prosecutor General sent a request for the detention and temporary arrest of this person. After communication with the Finnish side, the suspect was detained by the competent authorities of this country. In September 2023, the PGO sent a request for extradition on him.

In December 2023, the competent authorities of Finland began their own investigation into the crimes of this person committed during the military operations in Ukraine.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) cooperated with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The PGO provided, at the request of the Finnish side, materials collected within the framework of the Ukrainian investigation and assisted in the collection of evidence. The NBI also exchanged information with Europol, Eurojust and the International Criminal Court.

"The PGO thanks the Prosecutor's Office and the National Bureau of Investigations of Finland for the effective use of universal jurisdiction mechanisms to investigate Russian crimes committed in Ukraine," the department summed up.