A former mercenary from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner who fled to Norway ten days ago has been arrested by Norwegian police under immigration law, police announced on Monday (January 23rd).
“The person concerned has been arrested under the Immigration Act and consideration is being given to his internment“in a camp for illegal aliens,” said Jon Andreas Johansen, a police officer in charge of immigration affairs, in an email to AFP. Police would not specify the exact reasons for his arrest or provide further comment.
Witness to war crimes
Andrei Medvedev, 26, had crossed the Russian-Norwegian border in the Far North on the night of January 12 to 13 and requested asylum in the Scandinavian country, saying he was ready according to his lawyer to “talk about his experience within the Wagner group to the people who investigate war crimes”.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: these Wagner fighters, conscripted in prison and treated as heroes on their return
The man says he fought in Ukraine in Wagner’s uniform for four months before deserting in November when the paramilitary organization led by businessman Yevgeny Prigojine, he says, extended his contract against his will.
Acting as a potentially valuable witness to shed light on the brutality of the paramilitary group in Ukraine, he has since been put on the grill by Norwegian authorities since arriving in the country, at an undisclosed location.
Conditions of arrival in Norway
Many experts believe that Andrei Medvedev could not cross the heavily guarded border without assistance.
He himself claims to have crossed clandestinely on foot the Pasvik, the currently frozen river which marks the Russian-Norwegian border, under the bullets of Russian guards launched on his heels with dogs. AFP has not been able to independently confirm the veracity of his comments.
Security measures deemed excessive
His lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told AFP that Andrei Medvedev had been arrested because of his refusal to comply with all the security rules put in place around him.
“He thinks it’s a lot and it doesn’t have to be“, he explained. “There are naturally a lot of security measures that have been taken and he finds it difficult to comply with them“. “He is not accused of anything“, he specified.
HAVEALSO – The United States designates the Wagner Group as an international criminal organization