MOSCOW — A former commander of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who fought in Ukraine mentioned he has fled to Norway and is searching for asylum in concern for his life after witnessing the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners delivered to the frontline.
Andrei Medvedev, who joined the group on July 6, 2022, on a four-month contract, mentioned in a video posted by the Gulagu.web rights group that he had crossed the border into Norway earlier than being detained by Norwegian police.
Medvedev, an orphan who joined the Russian military and served time in jail earlier than becoming a member of Wagner, mentioned he had slipped away from the group after witnessing the killing of captured deserters from Wagner.
“I am afraid of dying in agony,” Medvedev instructed Vladimir Osechkin, founding father of the Gulagu.web rights group, which mentioned it had helped Medvedev depart Russia after he approached the group in concern for his life.
He mentioned he crossed the border, climbing via barbed-wire fences and evading a border patrol with canine, and heard guards firing photographs as he ran via a forest and over skinny and breaking ice into Norway.
Norwegian police mentioned a overseas citizen had been arrested on the evening of Thursday to Friday after illegally crossing the Russian-Norwegian border within the Arctic and was searching for asylum.
His Norwegian lawyer mentioned Medvedev was now within the “Oslo area” however didn’t give particulars.
“What is important for him [Medvedev] is that immigration authorities clarify his status as soon as possible,” lawyer Brynjulf Risnes instructed Reuters.
Medvedev had not but talked with Norwegian safety police and no settlement for an interview had been made, Risnes mentioned.
“I am sure that will be a question at some point,” mentioned Risnes, who declined to say the place Medvedev was preventing in Ukraine.
“He says he has taken part in battle, which he says were clear battle situations …and that he has not been in contact with civilians,” mentioned Risnes.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who based Wagner, mentioned that Medvedev had labored in a Norwegian unit of Wagner however had “mistreated prisoners.”
“Be careful, he’s very dangerous,” Prigozhin mentioned in an announcement launched by his spokeswoman. Prigozhin didn’t deal with the claims of killings or mistreatment of prisoners within the assertion.
In interviews with Gulagu, Medvedev mentioned he grew disaffected after his contract was repeatedly prolonged by Wagner with out his consent. He mentioned he had witnessed the killing and mistreatment of Russian prisoners who had been delivered to the entrance by Wagner.
Medvedev mentioned losses had been very excessive after Wagner started sending giant numbers of prisoners to the entrance within the second half of 2022. Wagner’s inner safety service handed out excessive punishment, Medvedev mentioned.
He mentioned a person who was proven in November being executed with a sledgehammer had been a part of his unit.
The Wagner assertion didn’t deal with Medvedev’s accounts of punishment and of battlefield losses, or that his contract was repeatedly prolonged.
Prigozhin has mentioned his group is an efficient preventing pressure as a result of it had in depth battlefield expertise, it’s nicely provided, has a meritocratic command system through which all can contribute and “the most severe discipline.”
Russia despatched forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a “special military operation” to “denazify” its neighbor and defend Russian safety. — Reuters
