Police in Norway reported Monday that they have arrested an alleged former Wagner Group mercenary after he defected from Ukraine, where the group is fighting alongside Russian forces, to seek political asylum in the Nordic country.
The man, identified as Andrei Medvedev, 26, arrived on Norwegian territory ten days ago and has now been arrested under the country’s Migration Act, as explained by the head of communication of the Police Migration Unit, Cecilie Johnasen.
The young man crossed the border between the two countries on the night of January 12 and arrived in the Nordic country, where he said he was willing to «talk about his experience in the Wagner Group to those investigating war crimes».
He explained that he had fought in Ukraine together with other mercenaries for at least four months before defecting last November when the organization led by Yevegeni Prigozhin decided to extend his contract against his will, according to the newspaper ‘VG’.
Faced with the possibility of his becoming a central witness in connection with the actions of the paramilitary group in Ukraine, the authorities have guaranteed his protection and have not revealed his whereabouts for the time being.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
