A neo-Nazi paramilitary unit has threatened to stop fighting on a "critical" front if the Kremlin can't free its founder from Finnish custody, military analysts have said.
Yan Petrovsky, leader of Rusich - a unit affiliated with Wagner - was detained in Finland on Friday at Ukraine's request, according to the group and social media channels linked to Wagner.
Now Rusich has said it won't protect Russians until the Russian government does so, accusing it of failing to secure the release of Petrovsky.
"Russian irregular formations remain willing to threaten to withdraw from combat unilaterally despite recent efforts by Russian military command to purge and suppress insubordination," said the Institute for the Study of War.
The US-based think tank said the Rusich Group is likely to be based along the Robotyne-Verbove front, in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Russia "cannot afford for any units to rebel".
Ukraine has reportedly made advances through the village of Robotyne in recent days, with one commander hinting at a possible breakthrough.
For context: The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation on Friday sought the extension of the detention of Petrovsky, who also uses the name Voislav Torden, on suspicion of participating in a terrorist group's activities as well as supporting terrorism, a Finnish district court official said.
Petrovsky is a long-time far-right activist who helped found Rusich as an explicitly neo-Nazi unit during the opening stages of the conflict in the Donbas in 2014.
of course one of russias expressed aims in this war was to OPPOSE nazism in Ukraine so they should support the extradition and immediately disband and dismiss this band of nazis hidden in their midst !!
I'm sure tricky and all other ardent anti nazis will support this action .
(NOT ---- the sanguinary hypocrites that they are !)
