AP: Norway says Wagner Groups’ ex-commander sought asylum

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) said on Jan. 16 that Andrey Medvedev, who is reportedly a former platoon commander of the Kremlin-controlled mercenary group Wagner, sought asylum in Norway, Associated Press reported.

“For reasons of security and privacy, the UDI cannot comment further on this matter,” UDI told AP.

According to Norwegian law enforcement, a Russian man, presumably Medvedev, illegally crossed into Norway.

The Wagner Group is Russia's most high-profile mercenary group and was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch, Putin confidant, and former convict.

Alongside Russia's military, the group has taken part in the battles for both Soledar and Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk Oblast.

Medvedev told The Insider, a Russian investigative media outlet, that he knows of ten cases when the Wagner Group executed mercenaries for refusing to fight in Ukraine.

Medvedev was the commander of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a former prisoner who had signed a contract to fight with the Wagner Group in Ukraine. Shortly after arriving, he surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

On Nov. 13, a video surfaced of Nuzhin’s execution. It later turned out that Nuzhin had been part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Prigozhin, who runs the Wagner Group, said in November that Nuzhnin was "a traitor."

The Wagner Group has been accused of human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings, in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique.