Andrei Medvedev fled Russia to Paatsjoki, Norway on January 13. He claims to have fought for the mercenary company Wagner in Bahmut, eastern Ukraine
Swedish police have caught someone who defected from Russia to Norway in January Andrei Medvedev. Medvedev says that he traveled to Sweden by bus with the intention of buying cheap cigarettes.
The Swedish and Norwegian media are reporting on the case. The original source of the news is a human rights organization Gulagu.net (you will switch to another service)who helped Medvedev escape from Russia to Norway.
Medvedev has applied for asylum in Norway. As an asylum seeker, he is not allowed to leave the country.
After a cigarette
After being arrested by the police in Sweden, Medvedev contacted the director of Gulagu.net to Vladimir Osetshkinwho helped him escape from Russia.
According to Osetshkin (you will switch to another service) Medvedev had traveled to Sweden to buy cigarettes, because the price of a pack of cigarettes there is more than half cheaper than in Norway.
However, he missed the bus back to Oslo and therefore started to cover the distance on foot. The Swedish police caught him on the side of the road.
The police in Western Sweden confirm For Dagens Nyheter (you switch to another service) Medvedev’s capture.
Sweden is a common shopping destination for Norwegians with purchasing power, and there are several shopping centers aimed at Norwegian customers near the Norwegian border. However, the Swedish or Norwegian media do not say where exactly Medvedev had gone shopping.
Lawyer: Misunderstanding
Medvedev’s Norwegian lawyer has also confirmed his client’s arrest to the Norwegian For Dagbladet (you switch to another service) and For Verdens Gang (you switch to another service).
– He thought he could travel to Sweden. Unfortunately, asylum seekers do not have that opportunity. He regrets this misunderstanding and hopes to be transferred back to Norway soon, lawyer Brynjulf Risnes tells Dagbladet.
Risnes says that Medvedev is in the custody of the Swedish immigration authorities. He does not believe that an unauthorized trip to Sweden would affect Medvedev’s asylum application.
This is not the first time Medvedev has run into trouble after defecting to Norway. At the end of February, he was arrested for fighting. It happened outside a pub in Oslo.
Medvedev’s defection from Russia to Norway attracted enormous attention. Medvedev has said that he fought for the mercenary company Wagner in Bahmut in eastern Ukraine.
If his claims are true, he is the first Wagner soldier to escape to the West.