Andrey Medvedev, a former Wagner fighter who fled to Norway, is really going to return to Russia, Reuters reports. “Be careful, he’s very dangerous.” Norway wants to deport ex-Wagner fighter to Russia Andrei Medvedev, a former Wagner PMC fighter who fled to Norway, said that he was threatened with deportation… January 23 18:35
“Recently, I decided that I was ready to return to the Russian Federation. I turned to the Russian Embassy in Oslo for help to facilitate my return,” says the Russian in one of the latest videos he posted on YouTube.
According to Medvedev, he made the decision to return on his own, but not without “external factors”, he also claims that he was not subjected to any pressure. On May 18, he was supposed to “hand over documents” that the Russian believes will help facilitate his return.
“I hoped that I could find peace and tranquility here, that I could leave behind all politics, war, the army, but somehow I failed,” he explains his decision.
“Let’s see what will happen in Russia. If they kill me, fine. If they don’t, thank you very much. If I survive, all the more thanks,” Medvedev sums up.
“His own initiative”
The press officer of the Russian Embassy in Norway, Timur Chekanov, confirmed that the Russian decided to return to his homeland. At the same time, the diplomatic mission emphasized that “this is his own initiative.”
“We confirm the fact of receiving Andrei Medvedev at the consular department of the embassy as part of the performance of regular consular functions. The issue of his return to Russia will be decided in accordance with Russian law,” Chekanov told RIA Novosti.
The founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in January that Medvedev “worked in the Norwegian battalion of the Wagner PMC, which is called Nidhogg, since he had Norwegian citizenship.” At the time, Prigogine stressed that the escaped Russian should be held accountable “for attempting” to mistreat prisoners. Previously, the existence of the Norwegian battalion was not reported anywhere.
How the Russian ended up in Oslo
Medvedev’s story got into all the world’s media, as the case was exceptional: a military man deserted to a Western country, claiming that he fought in Ukraine on the side of PMCs ” Wagner.
As the Russian said, he crossed the border between Norway and Russia, running away from the border guards. Once on Norwegian territory, he asked a local woman to call the police. On January 13, he was detained in the province of Finnmark, and later sent to a deportation center for illegal immigrants.
Medvedev said that he saw with his own eyes the executions of prisoners recruited by PMCs, and was also the commander of Yevgeny Nuzhin, the footage of whose execution with a sledgehammer appeared on the network in November last year.Moskalkova will appeal to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation because of the video with the execution of a fighter of PMC “Wagner” Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova said that she will appeal to the Investigative Committee of Russia because of a new video in which… 13 February 14:45
At the end of January, the Russian turned to the human rights organization Gulagu.net, claiming that they wanted to deport him, but they could kill him in his homeland.
In April, Medvedev was prosecuted for participating in a bar brawl in Oslo and carrying an air gun. In an interview with a Reuters correspondent, he emphasized that he was studying Norwegian and hoped to receive asylum.