Foreign countries|Russian invasion
In an interview with the Russian non-governmental organization Gulagu.net, the man claims that the Russian security service FSB chased him to the Norwegian border and fired shots.
In Russian a man who previously worked in the mercenary army has fled to Norway and is seeking asylum, according to the Norwegian media. The man’s lawyer has confirmed the information for VG.
According to VG, the soldier used to hold managerial positions in Wagner. The Norwegian authorities arrested him on Friday in Finnmark on suspicion of illegal border crossing. At the time, the police did not confirm the man’s identity or nationality, but the man’s lawyer confirmed to VG that he is Russian Andrey Medvedevwho previously held managerial positions at Wagner.
The man arrived in Norway on Friday.
Medvedev claims a Russian NGO of Gulagu.net in an interview, that the Russian security service FSB would have chased him to the border and fired shots:
“I heard dogs behind me and shooting, so I ran and ran and ran towards the Norwegian border.”
According to the police in the Finnmark region, the man had sought help from houses located near the border on the Norwegian side. of The Barents Observer according to the man has been taken to Oslo for security reasons.
According to Gulagu.net, it is the first time that a member of the Wagner group in a leadership position flees to Europe.
According to information from Gulagu.net, Medvedev’s contract with Wagner would have started at the beginning of June 2022 and lasted four months, after which he would have stopped.
The man was said to have contacted a human rights organization and asked for help to avoid Wagner’s retaliation after leaving the mercenary group, reports Norwegian NTB.
The Norwegian Protection Police PST said they are aware of the incident. The protection police assesses whether the case requires them to take action.
Wagner is a Russian mercenary group with forces in Ukraine. The group has been part of recent bloody battles, taking credit for the capture of Soledar, for example.
Wagner already invaded Ukraine in 2014. That’s when Russian-commanded unmarked soldiers took over the Crimean peninsula and the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Among them were Wagner’s soldiers.
Later, Wagner has fought in Syria and several African countries, for example. In human rights reports, its forces have been accused of executions, massacres, rapes and other atrocities.
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