A Finnish appeals court has overturned portions of a guilty verdict against a Russian-born man convicted of war crimes in Ukraine, reducing his life sentence to 12-1/2 years behind bars.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal reduced former Rusich commander Yan Petrovsky’s life sentence to 12 years and six months, finding him guilty of three war crimes against Ukraine.

The former member of the far-right Rusich paramilitary group was handed a life sentence by the Helsinki district court last year.