Norway has turned down an asylum application from a man who claims to have deserted the Russian mercenary group Wagner and escaped to Norway, according to his lawyer.
Andrei Medvedev, 27, claims he fought in Ukraine as a Wagner member for four months before deserting.
He applied for asylum after fleeing to Norway in January 2023.
Medvedev claimed to have crossed the Russian-Norwegian border in dramatic circumstances, having to flee over the frozen Pasvik River in Norway’s far north while being pursued by dogs and Russian border guards who allegedly fired at him.
Questions remain about his past and his escape, however, with some experts arguing he could not have crossed the heavily guarded border without assistance.
A potentially valuable witness in shedding light on the Wagner Group’s reported brutality in Ukraine, Medvedev has had several run-ins with Norwegian authorities since arriving.
His asylum request has now been denied, according to his lawyer.
The lawyer said his client planned to appeal against the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration’s (UDI) decision.
The UDI cannot comment on individual cases due to confidentiality rules.
