1 year ago
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Image source, Reuters
A erstwhile commandant with the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group has claimed asylum successful Norway aft deserting from the mercenary outfit.
Andrey Medvedev, 26, crossed the borderline into Norway past Friday, wherever helium was detained by borderline guards.
He is presently being held successful the Oslo country wherever helium faces charges of amerciable introduction to Norway, his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told the BBC.
Mr Risnes said his lawsuit near Wagner aft witnessing warfare crimes successful Ukraine.
The Norwegian Border Guard confirmed to the BBC that a Russian antheral had been detained aft crossing the country's 198km (123miles) agelong borderline with Russia, but said it could not remark further for "reasons of information and privacy".
Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, constabulary main of unit successful the Norwegian portion of Finnmark, said a antheral had been detained by a borderline patrol and said helium had applied for asylum.
But the Russian quality rights radical Gulagu, who helped Mr Medvedev permission Russia, confirmed his identity. His flight is believed to beryllium the archetypal known lawsuit of 1 of the group's soldiers defecting to the West.
Gulagu's laminitis Vladimir Osechkin told the BBC that Mr Medvedev had joined the paramilitary radical successful July 2022 connected a four-month contract, but had deserted aft witnessing a big of quality rights abuses and warfare crimes portion serving successful Ukraine.
He said that Mr Medvedev is simply a erstwhile worker successful the Russian service and that helium aboriginal served clip successful situation betwixt 2017 and 2018 earlier joining the Wagner Group.
He was placed successful complaint of a Wagner part successful Ukraine, wherever the mercenary radical supplied him with astir 30-40 troops each week, Mr Osechkin said.
In a video posted by Gulagu to its societal media channels, Mr Medvedev said helium fled Ukraine successful November aft being informed that the radical intended to widen his declaration indefinitely.
After spending 2 months underground successful Russia, helium crossed the borderline into Norway past week.
Mr Risnes said his lawsuit had besides witnessed a big of warfare crimes portion warring successful Ukraine, including seeing "deserters being executed" by the Wagner Group's interior information service.
"In abbreviated helium felt betrayed and wanted to permission arsenic soon arsenic possible," Mr Risnes said.
He added that helium believed Mr Medvedev had taken immoderate grounds of warfare crimes with him to Norway and that helium intends to stock his accusation with groups investigating warfare crimes successful the coming weeks.
In effect to the allegations, the laminitis of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed that Mr Medvedev was a erstwhile Wagner soldier.
But successful a property merchandise issued by 1 of his companies, helium said Mr Medvedev held Norwegian citizenship and had led a battalion of soldiers from the Scandinavian nation.
Mr Prigozhin besides accused him of "mistreatment of prisoners" and said that his erstwhile worker was "very dangerous". Mr Risnes told the BBC that Mr Prigozhin's claims were not true.
UK officials judge the Wagner Group makes up astir 10% of Russia's forces successful Ukraine, and played a important portion successful helping Moscow's forces instrumentality the municipality of Soledar successful eastbound Donbas portion past week.
Thousands of its troops person been recruited from Russian prisons. Mr Prigozhin - a erstwhile convict himself - has promised recruits their state successful speech for six months work successful Ukraine.
Before the penetration of Ukraine, it had lone a fewer 1000 mercenaries. Most were believed to beryllium experienced erstwhile soldiers, including immoderate from Russia's elite regiments and peculiar forces.
Since 2015, it is believed to person deployed troops to Syria, Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.
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