Russia, former commander of the Wagner group, has applied for asylum in Norway and wants to cooperate

A citizen of Russia, former senior member of the Russian private group of Wagner mercenaries, Andrei Medvedev, has applied for asylum in Norway. This was confirmed to Associated Press by the Norwegian Immigration Service, also known by the Norwegian acronym Udi. “Due to security and privacy concerns, UDI cannot comment further on the matter,” Udi himself told AP via email. The case was referred to the Norwegian immigration police and the man was taken to Oslo, where he was taken to a center for those violating immigration laws. The Norwegian police declined to comment on the case.

Last week, police in arctic Norway reported that a person had entered Russia illegally by crossing the 198-kilometer border between the two countries. The man, whom the authorities only identified as a foreigner, was stopped by border guards: He is said to have gone to a private home in the border area and asked for help. Police said they were informed by Russian border guards late Thursday that they had spotted tracks in the snow that could indicate someone crossed the border illegally. This person is believed to be exactly the same as Medvedev, who was reported today by Norwegian news agency Ntb as on the run since resigning from the Wagner group on July 6.

The man is said to have told a Russian human rights group that he was ready to tell everything he knew about the Wagner group, its activities and its number one Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wagner group includes a large number of convicts recruited from Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in Ukraine. The group has become increasingly influential in Africawhere he promoted Russian disinformation, formed alliances with regimes, and gained access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds, and precious minerals.

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