Burkina Faso secretly handed Helsinki resident who fought for Ukraine over to Russia - HS

The 50-year-old man, identified by the newspaper as Mikael, is now imprisoned in Russia after being prosecuted on mercenary charges. The verdict in his case was classified, and the length of his sentence is unknown.

Mikael traveled to Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. He fought in a Ukrainian military unit and later worked as a liaison between Ukrainian and foreign troops, using his fluency in Finnish and Russian.

He returned to Finland in early 2025 and later traveled to Sierra Leone with a group of around 10 men, most of them Finnish and many of whom had previously fought in Ukraine.

According to HS, the group went to work as civilian security guards at a gold mine.

After several months, Mikael and an Italian man identified as Paolo, who had also fought in Ukraine, continued to Burkina Faso, where they planned to work in the mining industry.

Within hours of arriving at a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, the two men were taken away by unidentified people while handcuffed and blindfolded.

Paolo was released three months later with the help of the Italian Embassy, but Mikael remained in detention.

When Finland's Foreign Ministry asked Burkina Faso for information about Mikael in November 2025, authorities there said he had not been seen in the country, according to HS.

The newspaper's investigation found that Burkina Faso had in fact transferred him to Russia in the fall of 2025.

Burkina Faso is ruled by a military junta that has developed close ties with Russia.

In Russia, Mikael was charged under a law criminalizing participation as a mercenary in an armed conflict, which carries a prison sentence of seven to 15 years.

Court documents obtained by HS show that proceedings lasted about two months. A Moscow court issued a classified ruling in November 2025.

It remains unclear what sentence Mikael received or whether the ruling is final. HS reported that he is currently being held in a prison in Samara.

The case is also being investigated in Finland by police, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry. Finnish police said their investigation concerns a missing person and that no crime is currently suspected.

Mikael is not a Finnish citizen. He was born in the Soviet Union and has lived in Finland with a residence permit. He traveled to Burkina Faso using a Finnish-issued alien's passport listing him as stateless.

HS reported that he also has a Russian passport, although the newspaper could not verify its authenticity or establish whether Russia recognizes him as a Russian citizen.

HS also reported that Ukrainian authorities had begun investigating Mikael before he left Ukraine over possible irregularities involving money and imported vehicles. The newspaper was unable to obtain official confirmation from Ukrainian sources about the investigation or whether it remains open, and Mikael is not listed as wanted by Ukraine.