A man is seen inside the "PMC Wagner Centre" ahead of its opening in St. Petersburg, Russia, on October 31, 2022 (file picture)
(Picture: AP)An alleged former commander with the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group has claimed asylum in Norway after deserting from the mercenary outfit.
Andrei Medvedev has sought shelter in Norway after crossing the border and being detained by border guards.
It is believed to be the first known instance of one of the group’s soldiers defecting to the West.
Russian human rights group Gulagu has said Mr Medvedev had taken evidence of war crimes with him to Norway and that he intends to share his information with groups investigating atrocities in Ukraine.
He is said to is ready to tell everything he knows about the Wagner Group, its activities, and its owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The mercenary group includes a large number of convicts recruited in Russian prisons who have spearheaded attacks in Ukraine. It has recently been fighting in the small eastern town of Soledar.
UK officials believe the Wagner Group makes up about 10% of Russia’s forces in Ukraine.
The BBC said in a video posted by Gulagu to its social media channels, Mr Medvedev said he fled Ukraine in November after being informed that the group intended to extend his contract indefinitely.
The broadcaster said he spent two months underground in Russia, before crossing the border into Norway last week.
Gulagu told the BBC that Mr Medvedev is a former soldier in the Russian army and that he later served time in prison between 2017 and 2018 before joining the Wagner Group, where he was in charge of a division.
His lawyer told the BBC his client had witnessed a host of war crimes while fighting in Ukraine, including seeing “deserters being executed” by the Wagner Group’s internal security service.
The case was handed to the Norwegian immigration police and the man was transferred to Oslo, where he was placed in a centre for violators of migration laws. Police in Norway have declined to comment on the case.
Last week, police in Arctic Norway said a person had illegally entered from Russia by crossing the two countries’ border, which is 123 miles long.
