Ex-commander of the “Wagner” was detained in Norway — he tried to flee to Russia due to fear of extradition to Ukraine

The Norwegian police detained Andrey Medvedev, the ex-commander of the "PMC Wagner" branch, who previously fled to Norway but now tried to return to Russia illegally because he was afraid that he would be extradited to Ukraine.

The Barents Observer writes that Medvedev was stopped on Friday evening in the village of Grense Yakobselv on the border with the Russian Federation — he tried to cross the border in the dark and get to the Kola Peninsula.

Police in the Finnmark region confirmed to the newspaper that a man in his 20s was detained and will be charged with violating border regulations.

The attempted border crossing took place hours after Medvedev met with a Barents Observer journalist in the city center of Kirkenes. The 27-year-old former PMK Wagner fighter said he wanted to cross the border and was looking for someone to give him a lift.

“He looked agitated but at the same time calm and determined. The man explained that he believed that he would soon be extradited to Ukraine and that returning to Russia was a safer alternative. Shortly after the conversation, he apparently managed to get to Grense Jakobselv, 50 kilometers from Kirkenes. In this place, only a small shallow river separates Norway and Russia," the publication writes.

• In January 2023, the Russian Andrey Medvedev, the former commander of the "Wagner PMC", illegally crossed the border and asked for asylum. Volodymyr Osyechkin reported that Medvedev crossed the border with Norway in the area of Nickel, Murmansk region. Later, the "Wagnerian" was charged with violence — he got into a fight outside a pub in Oslo.
• Medvedev was released on February 22 after being questioned about the incident. He testified during the interrogation but pleaded not guilty.
• On April 7, Medvedev was arrested in Sweden. He traveled by bus from Norway to Sweden because he was told that cigarettes cost half as much there. But the "Wagnerian" does not have a permit to enter Sweden, so he was detained.