Norway previously said that a man who entered the country illegally was arrested in northern Norway. According to the latest Norwegian information, the man says he is ready to testify against Wagner director Yevgeni Prigožin.
Sari Taussi,
Heidi Sullström
16:59•Updated 17:14
Norwegian VG magazine says (you will switch to another service), that the man who came to Northern Norway illegally from Russia last week is a soldier of the Russian Wagner mercenary army. The man’s name is Andrey Medvedev and he has previously been a manager at Wagner, the newspaper says the man’s representative by Jens Bernhard based on the information provided.
Barents Observer magazine (you will switch to another service) on the other hand says that the man would have been transported to Oslo for security reasons. The man talks about the details of the escape in an interview published on the website of the Russian non-governmental organization Gulagu.net.
According to the video, troops of the Russian security service FSB fired shots when the man fled across the border. has not been able to verify the authenticity of the recording.
Wagner is a private mercenary army that plays a significant role in Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. In recent days, Wagner has been featured especially in the battles that took place in the Bahmut region in eastern Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin led forces claimed in a video message that they played a decisive role in Russia’s seizure of the small town of Soledar this week.
The Norwegian authorities are investigating the man’s background
Interviewed by VG magazine, Bernhard says that the man who came to Norway has applied for asylum in Norway, and estimates that the man’s application will be processed in the usual way according to Norwegian laws.
According to VG, the representative of the Finnmark police district says that efforts are being made to verify the man’s identity and that he will be interviewed.
Two days ago, the Barents Observer reported on the man’s arrival across the Russian border to northern Norway.
The newspaper reported that the man had applied for asylum in Norway, and at the time speculated that a possible reason for the escape was that the man was fleeing Russia’s business support.
The Finnish border guard also received information about the border crossing
The Finnish Border Guard tells that it received information on Friday morning about an illegal border crossing in the north.
– An announcement came from Norway that they have one person and that is what we know, says the deputy commander of the Lapland border guard Ville Ahtiainen.
According to him, the border guard has received no other information about Norway.