Finnish police close investigation into online sale of alleged Russian “war trophy”

The Helsinki Police Department has concluded its preliminary investigation into the online sale of a bulletproof vest claimed to be a “Russian war trophy,” determining no crime was committed after the seller came forward voluntarily.

According to documents obtained by Finnish broadcaster Yle, the case began in June last year when police launched a preliminary inquiry into the online listing of a bulletproof vest allegedly taken from a Russian prisoner of war in Ukraine. The investigation initially considered whether the sale constituted a minor war crime—a rare offense in Finland, with no recorded cases since at least 2006.

The seller, who contacted police after seeing media coverage of the case, stated they had received the vest from Ukrainian soldiers but were unaware of its exact origins. The individual, affiliated with a Finnish organization supporting Ukraine, told investigators they occasionally bring military equipment from Ukraine to sell in Finland as part of fundraising efforts.

Police determined that while the vest may have been obtained through a minor war crime in Ukraine, the act of selling it in Finland did not meet the threshold for prosecution. Authorities found no evidence that the seller had personally taken the item from a prisoner of war or committed any other offense.

The case has since been closed, with police concluding there were no grounds to suspect a crime under Finnish law.