Ex-Wagner fighter faces ‘brutal death’ if deported to Russia from Norway after fleeing Ukraine War: rights group
- Andrei Medvedev, who recently fled by crossing the Russian-Norwegian border, has been caught by police
- A Russian rights group said Medvedev is willing to cooperate with Norway’s authorities but fears for his life if he is returned to Moscow
A Russian prisoners’ rights group, Gulagu.net, published a recording of a phone interview on Monday with Andrei Medvedev in which he urged Norway to let him stay and testify against the private military group, which has been fighting Ukrainian forces in some of the most brutal battles of the war.
Medvedev said he had been detained and handcuffed on Sunday at a hotel where he was staying and taken to a detention centre. Gulagu.net said Medvedev had been told he faced deportation.
Asked about the claim, a Norwegian police spokesperson said: “No, this is not correct,” without elaborating.
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, put the risk of his being deported at “zero”, adding he had been detained due to “disagreement” about measures taken to ensure his safety.
“He is under very strict security measures and we disagree about the way they are applied. These have caused frictions,” Risnes said.
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