In a bathrobe, behind the FSB
Wagner-Söldner manages to escape to Norway
01/16/2023, 5:55 p.m
A presumably high-ranking, former Wagner fighter manages to escape to Norway in a cloak-and-dagger operation. As spectacular as his escape is, his statement could be as important. According to one account, he served in the unit that executed a man with a sledgehammer.
According to Norwegian authorities, a former fighter from the Wagner mercenary group entered Norway and applied for political asylum. Andrei Medvedev is said to have been a high-ranking member of the Wagner group. The responsible authorities of the AP news agency confirm that he has sought refuge in Norway.
Police in Norway said last week that a person had crossed the border illegally from Russia. The man, initially only identified as a foreigner, was arrested by border guards after he reportedly visited a private home in the border area on Friday night and asked for help. He was later identified as Andrei Medvedev, as reported by several Norwegian media.
The independent Russian-language news site “Meduzawrites that Medvedev reportedly served as commander of the unit that included Yevgeny Nuzhin, himself a former Wagner mercenary who was apparently executed with a sledgehammer by the group, according to a video leaked online in November.
According to the Russian human rights organization Gulagu.net Medvedev turned his back on the Wagner troupe after his four-month contract signed in July expired. According to Medvedev, the contract should now be extended. Apparently that was a reason to flee, they say in a report from “stern.de”.
Is he testifying against Prigozhin?
Medvedev was followed by dogs as he fled, reports Gulagu.net, and agents of the Russian secret service FSB shot at him. In a published by the organization Video Medvedev describes his escape, as “stern.de” reports. He is said to have reached the Russian border town of Nikel with the help of supporters in Murmansk. From there he is said to have climbed over the barbed wire fence in a white bathrobe and walked across the frozen Pasvikelva River. This information has not yet been independently verified.
According to several media reports, Medvedev is said to be ready to testify before the Norwegian authorities and in international criminal proceedings about the atrocities committed by the Wagner group and also about Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.