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Norway rejects alleged Wagner deserter’s asylum application

Norway has rejected an asylum application from a man claiming to have deserted Russian mercenary group Wagner and fled to the country, his lawyer told a Norwegian newspaper on Tuesday.

Published: 6 February 2024 17:05 CET
Pictured is the Norwegian border with Russia.
Norway has rejected an asylum application from a man claiming to have deserted Russian mercenary group Wagner and fled to the country, his lawyer told a Norwegian newspaper on Tuesday. Pictured is the Norwegian border with Russia. (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP

Andrei Medvedev, 27, alleges he fought in Ukraine as a member of Wagner for four months before deserting.

He sought asylum after fleeing to Norway in January 2023. Medvedev claimed to have crossed the Russian-Norwegian border under dramatic circumstances, having to dash across the frozen Pasvik river in Norway’s far north while being chased by dogs and Russian border guards who allegedly fired at him.

Questions remain about his past and his escape, however, with some experts arguing he could not have crossed the heavily guarded border without
assistance.

A potentially valuable witness in shedding light on the Wagner group’s reported brutality in Ukraine, Medvedev has had several run-ins with Norwegian authorities since arriving.

His asylum request has now been denied, according to his lawyer. “He has nevertheless been granted a temporary residence permit in Norway because of the risks that returning him to Russia would entail,” Brynjulf Risnes told newspaper Dagbladet.

If he had been a soldier in the Russian army, he could have been granted asylum in Norway even if he has taken part in the fighting in Ukraine.

“But since the Wagner group was not formally part of the Russian forces, Norwegian authorities believe that he should not get protection as a refugee”,
Risnes added.

The lawyer said his client planned to appeal against the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration’s (UDI) decision.

The UDI cannot comment on individual cases due to confidentiality rules.

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UKRAINE

Norway gives $103m to Ukraine to secure electricity

Norway said Sunday that it would provide 1.1 billion kroner ($103 million) to Ukraine to help repair its energy infrastructure and secure the country's electricity supply before next winter.

Published: 16 June 2024 12:40 CEST
Norway gives $103m to Ukraine to secure electricity

“Russia is carrying out massive, systematic attacks to paralyse the power grid, but Ukrainians are working day and night to maintain essential electricity supplies for the population,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.

According to new estimates, more than 50 percent of Ukraine’s power production capacity has been destroyed, the government said.

“We are in close dialogue with Ukraine on how it can use these funds most effectively. The Ukrainians themselves have the best insight into what is needed,” Store said, adding that it was important to begin infrastructure repairs before the onset of winter.

Norway said it had already been decided that 120 million kroner would go toward repairs in the Kharkiv area, which has been hit particularly hard by Russian attacks recently.

Solar panels will be installed at seven maternity units and operating theatres in the Kharkiv area, Store said in the statement, which was issued as he attended a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.

In 2022, Norway provided 2.1 billion kroner in funding to the Ukrainian energy sector, and 1.9 billion kroner last year.

The Scandinavian country has pledged 75 billion kroner in military and civilian aid to Ukraine for the five-year period 2023-2027, with funding allocated each year in line with Ukraine’s needs.

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