Andrei Medvedev tried to cross the border in the dark and get to the Kola Peninsula.
Norwegian police detained ex-commander of the Wagner PMC Andrei Medvedev, who had previously fled Russia and asked for political asylum, while attempting to illegally cross the border with Russia.
This is reported by The Barents Observer.
Medvedev was stopped on Friday evening in the village of Grense Jakobselv on the border with the Russian Federation, when he tried to cross the border into the Kola Peninsula in the dark.
Regional police Finnmark confirmed that a man in his 20s has been detained and will be charged with border violations. Neither the name nor nationality of the detainee was given, but it was confirmed that he was planning to leave Norway for Russia.
Crossing the land border in this area is illegal.
The attempted border crossing occurred just hours after Medvedev briefly met with a Barents Observer journalist in the center of Kirkenes. The 27-year-old former Wagner Group fighter said he intended to cross the border and that he was looking for someone to give him a ride.
Medvedev seemed worried, he explained that he believed he would be extradited soon to Ukraine, and that returning to Russia is a safer alternative.
Soon after the conversation, the ex-Wagnerian apparently managed to get to Grense Jakobselv, 50 km from Kirkenes. At this point, Norway and Russia are separated only by a small shallow river. It remains a mystery how Medvedev got to this area. There is no public transport to the border river.
What is known about Medvedev’s flight to Norway
Recall that the ex-commander of “Wagner” fled from Russia in January 2023 Norway across the Arctic border. He said he was climbing over a barbed wire fence while running away from Border Patrol dogs when he heard gunshots. Medvedev claimed he was seeking asylum in Norway because he feared for his life after witnessing the murder and mistreatment of Russian prisoners recruited by a group of mercenaries for the war in Ukraine.
Medvedev also said he feared extradition to Ukraine, because he could be exchanged for captured Ukrainian military personnel.
In April in Oslo, Medvedev was detained for participating in a fight in a local bar and carrying an air gun. Then he told reporters that he was looking to the future, studying Norwegian and hoping to get asylum.
Related topics:
More news
