March 2022Before
Humanitarian aid
Volunteer work begins in Ukraine
Roope begins delivering aid in his own van: military and medical equipment to soldiers on the eastern front, and essential supplies to civilians.
538 Days in pre-trial detention.
No bail. No house arrest.
Roope Mustonen is a 34-year-old Finnish volunteer who has delivered humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine since March 2022. In May 2025 he was involved in an unintentional, fatal road accident. He was sober, stayed at the scene and performed CPR. He has had no previous criminal record.
He has been held in Poltava's pre-trial detention centre ever since. The complainant, the victim's widow, is President of the Kharkiv Commercial Court.
- Volunteer in Ukraine since
- March 2022
- Detained since
- 18 May 2025
- Next hearing (appeal)
- 13 Nov 2026 · in 6 days
We are not asking for special treatment.
We are asking for equal treatment under Ukrainian law.
Same court, different treatment
A Ukrainian defendant heard by the same court, September 2026
Roope Mustonen538 days in pre-trial detention and counting · hearings roughly once a month
Ukrainian defendant2 weeks in pre-trial detention, then house arrest or a travel ban · hearings on consecutive days
Source: Observations from Yle journalist Maxim Fedorov (09/2026)
Case file · 2022–2026
Timeline of events
Two verdicts, one quashed. Two sentences, both appealed. Through all of it, the same answer to every bail request: no.
- Conflict of interest
- Procedural delay
- Court decision
5 May 202513 days before
Humanitarian aid
Hospital and rescue supplies delivered to Kyiv
Roope delivers an aid load from Zero Line Finland to the Ukrainian charity Free Heart in Kyiv.
18 May 2025Day 0
Fatal accident
Collision on the M-03 highway near Dudnykove
Driving in the afternoon, Roope strikes a man who had stepped out of a stationary vehicle that was partly blocking the carriageway, to check its front tyre. The hazard lights were on, but no warning triangle had been placed. Roope stops, calls emergency services and performs CPR. He is confirmed completely sober and not using a phone. The victim, an officer of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), later dies in intensive care.
21 May 2025Day 3
Conflict of interest
Detention ordered by the widow's former colleague
The judge ruling on bail, house arrest or detention had previously served at the Commercial Court of the Kharkiv Region, the court the victim's widow now presides over. The judge orders detention with no alternative measure. It has been extended every 60 days since, without interruption.
September 2025Days 106–135
Procedural delay
Two hearings postponed: the widow does not appear
Present in court for the no-shows were, among others, the Finnish Consul to Ukraine, Roope's defence counsel and Ukrainian friends.
1 October 2025Day 136
First sentence
Six years in prison
Poltava District Court imposes a six-year sentence plus financial damages. Roope stays in detention without bail.
28 January 2026Day 255
Verdict voided
Appeal court quashes the judgment and orders a retrial
The court of appeal finds procedural flaws and voids the sentence. The bail request is denied again.
February–June 2026Days 259–408
Procedural delay
Hearings bend to the widow's schedule; her claim grows to €420,000
Over seven hearings, sessions are postponed or left unfinished because of the widow's schedule. Reasons cited include work commitments and a holiday abroad. She claims €300,000, treating the accident as equivalent to a combat-related death, plus €120,000 in child maintenance.
30 June 2026Day 408
Second sentence
Retrial verdict: four years
The Poltava court also imposes a three-year driving ban, about €20,000 in compensation and exceptionally high child-support payments, set on an abstract, hypothetical assessment rather than the children's actual financial dependency.
27 July 2026Day 435
Appeals filed
All three parties appeal
The prosecutor seeks six years and the widow eight. The defence seeks a suspended sentence with a three-year probation period, and asks that compensation be decided in separate civil proceedings.
~17 September 2026Day 487
Institutional influence
Appeal panel finally formed, after judges step away
Three judges nominated earlier were not legally acceptable. According to Yle journalist Maxim Fedorov, several judges also declined the case because they did not wish to work under the widow's institutional influence.
Today · 7 Nov 2026Day 538
Now
Still in Poltava SIZO, still without bail
No judgment is final, so Roope cannot yet apply to serve his sentence in Finland. Every postponement keeps him in pre-trial detention.
13 November 2026Day 544
Next hearing · in 6 days
Appeal hearing
Will Roope receive a fair sentence? Will his pre-trial detention finally end? Observers call the case a litmus test for Ukraine's justice system.
Conflicts of interest
The opposing party is a senior judge.
The victim's widow presides over the Kharkiv Commercial Court.
Commercial Court of the Kharkiv Region
ComplainantThe victim's widow, President of the court
Former colleagues
Detention judge · previously served at the courtOrdered Roope's detention on 21 May 2025
DefendantRoope Mustonen538days in pre-trial detention
- First offence, no criminal record
- Completely sober
01
Hearings scheduled around the complainant
Sessions have been postponed for the widow's work commitments and a holiday abroad, and two were lost to no-shows. Defence counsel says this forces Roope to remain in custody indefinitely.
02
Judges unwilling to take the case
Several judges declined to hear the appeal, reportedly because they did not wish to work under the widow's institutional influence. Three nominated judges were found legally unacceptable.
03
Appeals that block the way home
Under prisoner-transfer conventions, Roope can only apply to serve his sentence in Finland once the judgment is final. The defence says the complainant's side has appealed every ruling, so it never becomes final.
04
His lawyer has been threatened
Defence counsel Mykhailo Tarasenko has been threatened with repercussions if he continues to defend Roope.
05
"May indicate corruption"
Criminal defence lawyer Stanyslav Borys of the Ukrainian Bar Association told Yle that the severity of the preventive measure and the sentence may indicate corruption. "Strong grounds are needed to keep someone in pre-trial detention for a year. We have many alternative preventive measures available."
06
A shifting case for detention
The prosecutor cites a risk of flight or of pressure on witnesses, although key witness testimony has already been completed in court.
Proportionality
Out of all proportion.
Most people convicted of the same offence receive a suspended sentence. The sentences sought for Roope sit at the upper end of the range.
The widow is asking for8 yearsthe maximum sentence for this offence
Generally reserved forRoope's caseAlcohol or drugsCompletely soberMultiple victimsThe accident led to one death
Roope did not flee. He stayed at the scene, immediately called emergency services and performed CPR.
1,600sentences imposed in Ukraine for the same offence during the previous year
1,200+of them were suspended sentences, three out of four
€420kcivil claim: €300,000 for a death treated as combat-related, plus €120,000 in child maintenance (about ₴21 million)
Verified facts of the collision
- Completely sober: no alcohol or drugs detected
- No evidence of distraction by a mobile phone
- Stayed at the scene, called emergency services and performed CPR
- Acknowledged responsibility, cooperated fully, apologised to the family
The other vehicle
- Stationary, partly obstructing the carriageway
- Hazard lights on, but no warning triangle placed
- Driver on the roadway, inspecting the left front tyre
Detention realities
Inside Poltava SIZO
A SIZO is a pre-trial detention centre for people awaiting trial or the outcome of an appeal. It is not designed for stays measured in years.
No bomb shelter
There is no shelter for prisoners despite continuous air alerts. Roope told Yle he can hear explosions and drones.
Gaps in medical care
Roope needs regular medication and medical follow-up. At times he has had neither.
Overcrowding
SIZO cells are known for overcrowding, poor ventilation, vermin and poor sanitation. In March, Roope was moved to a lower-grade cell without a clear explanation.
Torture investigation
In 2025 Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation uncovered systematic and brutal torture at Poltava SIZO. Criminal charges have been brought against several guards.
Watched across Europe
A litmus test for the rule of law
“A corruption-free, impartial judiciary that meets EU standards is an absolute requirement for approving Ukraine’s EU membership. The Roope Mustonen case is a test for Ukraine’s judiciary, and it is being followed closely in the EU as well.”
“Mustonen’s case serves as a litmus test of whether Ukraine is capable of breaking free from its old Soviet legacy and developing into a genuine, Western rule-of-law state.”
“Ukraine’s EU membership should not be approved until the principles of the rule of law work in practice. I have worked in the Soviet Union and in Russia. There were car accidents then too, but in my opinion not a single Finn was treated as badly as Roope.”
“Roope deserves a fair trial and humane treatment. Above all, however, Ukrainians deserve a free society in which the authorities can be trusted and the rule of law functions. Roope’s cause and the cause of the Ukrainian people go hand in hand.”
Quotes translated from Finnish.
In the media
Coverage
The case has been reported by Yle, Helsingin Sanomat, Hufvudstadsbladet and others in Finland, and by Ukrainian media. A selection below; the full list is on its own page.
Yle26 May 2026Yle pääsi Ukrainassa oikeudenkäyntiin, jossa onnettomuuden aiheuttanutta suomalaista kohdellaan kuin murhamiestäYle attends the trial in Ukraine where a Finn who caused an accident is treated like a murderer.
Alfa TV11 Aug 2026VideoIsän taistelu poikansa oikeusturvan puolesta – Mika Mustonen | Päivän SoiniA father's fight for his son's legal rights: Roope's father Mika Mustonen interviewed by Timo Soini.Watch on Permanto · FinnishHelsingin Sanomat24 Jan 2026PaywallSuomalainen “Antti” ajoi väärän miehen yli, ja tulevaisuus katosiA Finn, “Antti”, ran over the wrong man, and his future vanished. The first article on the case, published before Roope's identity was revealed.Read on hs.fi · FinnishUA.News14 May 2026A court in Poltava has extended the detention of a Finnish volunteer in connection with a fatal traffic accidentThe Poltava court extends Roope’s pre-trial detention; the victim’s widow has filed a civil claim of over ₴21 million.Read on ua.news · English
About Roope
Who is Roope Mustonen?
Roope is a 34-year-old Finn with no criminal record. Since March 2022 he has volunteered in Ukraine, driving his own van to deliver military and medical equipment to soldiers on the eastern front, and essential supplies to civilians.
Roope is an ordinary Finnish citizen whose desire to help has shaped the course of his life. Above all, he is a son, a brother, and a friend to many.
He has carried aid for Finnish volunteer organisations including Zero Line Finland and FinEst Volunteers. On 5 May 2025, less than two weeks before the accident, he delivered hospital and rescue supplies to the Ukrainian charity Free Heart in Kyiv.
- Volunteering since
- March 2022
- Delivered to
- Front-line soldiers and civilians
- Call sign
- “Sun”
- Criminal record
- None
While my brothers-in-arms and I give our lives for Ukraine, he has stood beside us — clothing us, providing equipment, outfitting, and supplies, and simply asking, ‘How is my brother Anatolii?’
“I have seen few people so devoted to a good cause, who love Ukraine so deeply and do everything — everything — to bring our victory closer.”
Anatolii, call sign “Lytsar” (“Knight”), veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian war, who has fought in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, the south and the Donbas
Vouched for by the organisations he worked with
Statements, May 2025
Zero Line Finland ryFinnish non-profit · helping Ukraine since 2022
“Roope Mustonen delivered an aid load sent by Zero Line Finland from Finland to the Ukrainian charity organization Free Heart in [Kyiv] on May 5, 2025. The shipment included hospital and rescue supplies.”
FinEst VolunteersRegistered in Finland · delivering aid since 2022
“FinEst Volunteers delivers humanitarian aid to military hospitals, military units, civilians and animal shelters. Roope Mustonen has previously volunteered to deliver humanitarian aid from Finland to us, which we then delivered to [these] recipients.”
Ukrainian PatriotUkrainian NGO · Kyiv · translated from Ukrainian
“After the successful delivery to us in Kyiv, he was recognised as a suitable candidate for continued cooperation. … During his work with Ukrainian Patriot, Mustonen took part in organising the donation of a vehicle that we still use today.”
Organisations: Zero Line Finland ry · FinEst Volunteers · Ukrainian Patriot (Kyiv) · Free Heart, Kyiv (recipient)
Appeal hearing · 13 November 2026
6 days to go.
Until a judgment is final, Roope cannot apply to serve his sentence in Finland. International attention is what keeps this case moving. Help make sure the court knows Europe is watching.
Fundraiser · opens 8 Nov 2026
Support Roope
This small fundraiser collects money for Roope's legal costs, medical fees, and the purchase and delivery of medicine, hygiene products and food during his prolonged pre-trial detention, as well as possible costs of bringing him home.
Fundraiser run by: Sari Autio
Small-scale money collection number RA/2026/1527, notified to the Finnish police.
The fundraiser opens on 8 November 2026.
Account details will appear here when it opens.
Open8 Nov 2026 – 7 Feb 2027
Collection numberRA/2026/1527