An alleged former commander of the Russian mercenary group Wagner has sought asylum in Norway, authorities say, after leaving the organization that has played a central role in some of the major battles of the conflict in Ukraine.
Andrei Medvedev, 26, reportedly crossed the border into Norway near the Pasvikdalen valley shortly before 2am last Friday, where he was arrested and detained by border guards.
Norway’s Directorate of Immigration (UDI) confirmed to The Associated Press that Andrei Medvedev had sought refuge in the country, but “for reasons of security and privacy … cannot comment further on this matter.”
Police, who did not confirm his identity, said in a statement to Agence France-Presse that a man was “detained by Norwegian border guards and Norwegian police at 1.58am (0058 GMT)” on Friday morning.
“He has applied for asylum in Norway,” said Tarey Sirma-Tellefsen, chief of police in Finnmark, northern Norway.
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynulf Risnes, told the BBC that Medvedev was being held in Oslo, where he faced charges of entering the country illegally and that he had defected after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine.
Risnes said his client is no longer in custody but in a “secure location” while his case is analyzed. “If he gets asylum in Norway this charge [of illegal entry] will be removed automatically,” Risnes said.
“He has stated that he is willing to talk about his experiences in the Wagner group with people who are investigating war crimes,” the lawyer said, adding that Medvedev claimed to have served as a unit commander in charge of between five and 10 soldiers.
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Norwegian police said they were notified late Thursday by Russian border guards who found tracks in the snow that could indicate someone had crossed the border illegally. The man was detained by border guards and the arrest was not dramatic, police said.
Medvedev’s lawyer told AFP on Monday that after crossing the border, his client sought out local residents and asked them to call the police.
Medvedev has been in hiding since fleeing the Wagner group on July 6, according to Norwegian news agency NTB.
He reportedly told a Russian human rights group that he was ready to tell everything he knew about the Wagner group, its activities and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Human rights group Gulagu.net, which advocates for prisoners in Russian detention centers, has published interviews with Medvedev, including one after he crossed into Norway, where he detailed his dramatic escape.
“When I was on the ice [at the border], I heard a dog barking, turned around, saw people with torches, about 150 meters (500 feet) away, running in my direction,” Medvedev said in a video. “I heard two shots, the bullets flew by.”
According to Gulagu.net, Medvedev initially signed a four-month contract with Wagner in early July 2022 and claims to have witnessed executions and reprisals against those who refused to fight and wanted to leave.
According to Risnes, Medvedev said he “experienced something completely different from what he expected” after joining the private mercenary group, which has been at the forefront of key battles in Ukraine.
Wanting to leave and after claiming to have witnessed war crimes in Ukraine, Medvedev said his contract had been extended without his consent. “He realized there was no easy way out, so that’s when he decided to just run,” Risnes said.
Medvedev then reportedly spent two months underground in Russia before crossing the border into Norway last week.
The Guardian was unable to independently verify Medvedev’s account.
The Wagner group includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have led attacks in Ukraine. The group has become increasingly influential in Africa, where it pushes Russian disinformation, builds alliances with regimes and gains access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and precious minerals.
The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
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