A former senior member of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group who is seeking asylum in Norway is in police custody on suspicion of entering the Scandinavian country illegally, authorities said Monday.
Russian Andrey Medvedev “has been arrested under the Immigration Act and it is being assessed whether he should be presented for detention,” Jon Andreas Johansen of the Norwegian immigration police told The Associated Press. Norway’s VG newspaper said detaining him is not a punishment, but a security measure.
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, insisted on broadcaster NRK that his client is not suspected of any crime and is not used to Norway’s new, stricter security measures.
“Important security measures have been introduced. Medvedev is having trouble adapting to them,” Risnes told NRK.
Medvedev, who says he fears for his life, is believed to have entered Norway illegally after crossing the country’s 123-mile border with Russia earlier this month.
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In a video posted by the Russian dissident group Gulagu.net, Medvedev said he was fired upon by Russian gunfire before crossing into the Scandinavian country. Norwegian police said they were notified by Russian border guards of footprints in the snow that indicated someone might have crossed the border illegally.
The ‘PMC Wagner Center’ is pictured before its opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 31, 2022. A Russian man who applied for asylum in Norway was detained by the country’s immigration police.
(AP Photo, File)
Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, which is involved in investigating war crimes in Ukraine, said it is questioning Medvedev, who “has witness status.”
RUSSIAN WAGNER GROUP GAINS GLOBAL NOTORIETY FROM AFRICA TO UKRAINE, BUT DIVISION IS BREWED AT HOME
Medvedev, who has been on the run since defecting from the Wagner Group, reportedly told Gulagu.net that he is ready to tell everything he knows about the shady paramilitary group and its owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir. putin
Medvedev said that he left the Wagner Group after his contract was extended beyond the July to November timeline without his consent. He said he is willing to testify about any war crimes he has witnessed and denied taking part in any.
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The Wagner Group, which has spearheaded attacks against Ukrainian forces, includes a large number of convicts recruited from Russian prisons. The group has become increasingly influential in Africa.
