A former commander of Russia-based Wagner private military group, Andrei Medvedev, fled to Norway and sought asylum, amid a “threat to his life.”
Norwegian authorities confirmed on Monday that the Russian mercenary was arrested on Friday near the Nikel settlement in the Murmansk region for illegal border crossing on the same day. However, currently, Medvedev is at a migrant centre in Oslo awaiting his asylum request.
Ex-Commander of the Wagner Group, Andrei Medvedev has defected to Norway 🇳🇴.
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) January 16, 2023
Caught illegally crossing into Norway, he requested asylum.
He claims to know of ten cases where Wagner executed its own guys & to have videos of one incident, which will be published if he’s killed. pic.twitter.com/282Cd9L9hq
Fear of Execution
In an interview with the head of Russian human rights group Gulagu.net, Vladimir Osechkin, on Monday, Medvedev revealed that he refused to serve another stint once his four-month contract ended. He was beaten and feared suffering the same end as Yevgeny Nuzhin, who defected and was recaptured and killed with a sledgehammer by a Wagner troop.
Medvedev, who was commander of the first squad of the 4th platoon of the 7th assault detachment, revealed that the situation changed once the Russian prisoners began joining the war.
“They stopped treating us like humans. We were just thrown to fight like cannon fodder,” he alleged, adding that the Russian side faced heavy casualties, with 15-20 soldiers dying in his own unit, being buried in Luhansk, and declared missing to avoid paying insurance to their families.
He additionally claimed that the prisoners were “shot dead for refusing to fight, or betrayal.”
Wagner Group commander Andrey Medvedev has reportedly defected to Norway
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) January 16, 2023
Medvedev served alongside executed PMC Evgeny Nuzhin, which could point to some backlash against Yevgeny Prigozhin's glorification of Nuzhin's killing
Medvedev Willing to Testify
Medvedev’s lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told AFP that “he has declared that he is willing to speak about his experiences in the Wagner Group to people who are investigating war crimes.”
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin affirmed that Medvedev was part of his private military and should be prosecuted for “attempting to mistreat prisoners.” Medvedev denied this allegation in December, saying, “I did not commit any crime. I have refused to participate in maneuvers of Yevgeny Prigozhin.”
However, Risnes appeared to find it difficult to believe Medvedev’s claims, he noted that the “involvement of Gulagu.net and other human rights organisations in this case is comforting.”
A former Russian paramilitary fighting in Ukraine has promised to give evidence against the Wagner group after escaping and seeking asylum in Norway. He said he saw Wagner’s internal security forces execute their own men if they refused to fight. https://t.co/q3xxwNrTwJ
— Mark Anderson (@markc_anderson) January 17, 2023
Osechkin’s Remarks
Osechkin told CNN that he started helping Medvedev with a phone, clothes, and groceries after being approached through a friend in November. He revealed that once the Russian commander decided to leave the Wagner Group, he was wanted by the security services of Wagner and Russian special services.
PMK mercenary Wagner Medvedev, who fought against Ukraine, fled to Norway and wants political asylum.
— Serhii Sternenko ✙ (@sternenko) January 16, 2023
After participating in the war, he should end up only in prison.
Earlier, the Russian paratrooper fled to France and refused to testify.https://t.co/XolrkBuEKP pic.twitter.com/1rTWfGLXBd
“There was a threat to his life,” Osechkin remarked, adding, “We are not trying to justify his actions in relation to his participation in Wagner Group. But it should be understood that he decided to flee Wagner Group as terrorist organisation which kills both Russians and Ukrainians.”
Wagner Group’s Role in Ukraine
Currently, the Wagner Group is involved in a heavy battle in the eastern town of Soledar in Ukraine. There have been varying accounts as to who controls the town, with Ukrainian forces still fighting to gain control.
5/ Wagner Group deserter Andrey Medvedev escaped to Norway on January 12 and publicized reports criticizing Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin and the group’s brutal disciplinary procedures. https://t.co/PvxyqPWQgx
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) January 17, 2023
The private militia, with an estimated 20,000 troops mostly comprising prisoners in exchange for amnesty, fighting in Ukraine has proved to be a game-changer in the Russian invasion.
Wagner’s Global Footprint
The Russian mercenary group has significantly increased its presence worldwide since its creation in 2014, and has been accused of war crimes in Africa, Syria, and Ukraine.
The EU has imposed sanctions against the group, with the UN and France having accused them of committing rapes and robberies against civilians in the Central African Republic. Furthermore, the US military held them responsible for planting landmines and other improvised explosive devices in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in 2020.