Norwegian police have arrested a former commander of the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary army that has been fighting in Ukraine for months. To write in the Russian newspaper Moscow Times Tuesday and confirmed by the police. Andrei Medvedev, 26, fled to Norway last week and applied for political asylum there.
Medvedev says he fears for his life. In his own words, he saw Wagner’s members execute many deserters. Norwegian immigration police told the Associated Press news agency that Medvedev was arrested under immigration law and “it is being assessed whether he should be presented prior to detention”. Norwegian media They say the arrest is not a punishment, but a security measure. Medvedev’s lawyer Monday contradicted reports by the Russian human rights organization Gulaco, which warns that Norway wants to deport him to Russia while his life is in danger there.
Medvedev is a former captain who did not want to renew his contract with Wagner last year, wrote Medvedev Moscow Times. In November, Wagner was going to extend his contract indefinitely against his wishes, but Medvedev left the Wagner Group in December. said in one video message that he witnessed Wagner’s soldiers being “horribly” killed by their comrades because they refused to fight in Ukraine.
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possibility of deportation
Once back in Russia, Medvedev writes, he found out that he was wanted by the Russian Security Service Moscow Times. He went into hiding and contacted the human rights organization Gulagu, who helped him flee Russia. After two failed escape attempts to Finland, Medvedev last week crossed the 198-kilometre border between Russia and Norway.
During his trip, he said, he was shot at by Russian border guards, who then alerted their Norwegian counterparts. Subsequently, the Norwegian Immigration Service placed Medvedev in a center for immigrants who had violated immigration laws. Medvedev said he was ready to make statements condemning Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
According to Gulagó, Medvedev was informed by the Norwegian authorities that he would not be granted asylum They are deported to Russia. The human rights group says Medvedev will be “cruelly killed” if this actually happens. A spokesman for the Norwegian police refuses to reply For these letters, however, according to Medvedev’s lawyer, the chance of deportation is nil. The lawyer says the arrest was the result of a “disagreement” with the Norwegian authorities over the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the former commander.