ISLAMABAD/OSLO: A former commander with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has sought asylum in Norway after deserting the military outfit.
Andrey Medvedev, 26, was reportedly detained by border guards after he crossed the Norwegian border near the Pasvikdalen valley shortly before 2 am last Friday.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) told the Associated Press that Medvedev sought shelter in the country but “for reasons of security and privacy … cannot comment further on this matter”.
Medvedev’s lawyer in Norway, Brynjulf Risnes, confirmed that he had sought asylum in the Scandinavian country.
The case was handed to the Norwegian immigration police and the man was moved to Oslo, where he was held in a center for violators of migration laws.
“Medvedev left Wagner amid war crimes in Ukraine”
Risnes told BBC that his client left the Russian mercenary group after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine.
He said Medvedev was no longer in custody, but at a “safe place” as his case was being analysed, adding that if his client gets asylum in Norway the accusation of illegal entry will be dropped automatically.
Norwegian Police have declined to comment on the case.
Medvedev has been on the run after he defected from the group on July 6 2022, according to Norwegian media.
He reportedly told a Russian human rights organisation that he was ready to tell everything he knows about Wagner, its activities and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and close confidant of president Vladimir Putin.