Andrey Medvedev, who is seeking asylum in the Nordic country, could be deported to Russia, a rights group has warned.
A former fighter with the Wagner group, who recently fled to Norway to seek asylum, was arrested.
According to Gulagu.net, a Russian rights group that helped him escape, Andrey Medvedev faces possible deportation to Russia.
Jon Andreas Johansen, a police officer in charge of immigration affairs, told the Associated Press on Monday that the 26-year-old was arrested on suspicion of entering the country without documentation.
“It is being assessed whether he should be presented for detention,” Johansen said.
Medvedev crossed into Norway from neighboring Russia on January 13, seeking refuge in the Nordic nation.
He claims he climbed through barbed-wire fences at the 198-kilometer (123-mile) border and evaded border patrol officers with dogs.
After witnessing the murder and abuse of Russian prisoners brought to the front lines in Ukraine to fight for the Wagner Group, Medvedev feared for his life.
The shadowy paramilitary organization is closely aligned with the Kremlin and was heavily involved in Russia’s invasion.
‘He saw the light’
Gulagu.net, which campaigns for prisoners’ rights and has been in contact with Medvedev since he fled, said he was detained and handcuffed on Sunday night and said he was being taken to a detention center for subsequent deportation.
There has been no confirmation from the Norwegian authorities of any plan to deport him.
Gulagu.net said Medvedev would face “brutal murder and death” for speaking out against Wagner if returned to Russia.
“We do not whitewash Medvedev. He has done a lot of bad things in his life,” the rights group said.
“But he saw the light, he realized it, he is ready and willing to cooperate with the world, with the international investigation and with the authorities of Norway, he wants to live and testify” against Wagner and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin , it added.
Medvedev is an orphan who joined the Russian army and served time in prison before joining the Wagner Group on a four-month contract last July.
He claims Wagner repeatedly extended his contract without his consent.
He reportedly told Gulagu.net that he is ready to expose everything he knows about the power of mercenary fighters, which Washington said would be considered a criminal entity.
