GARDERMOEN / OSLO (Dagbladet): – I have probably created a bit of a headache for the Norwegian authorities by coming here, says Vladimir Osetschkin to Dagbladet.
On Friday, Wagner defector Andrej Medvedev met at Oslo Airport to receive the man who helped him flee across the border, in front of a large press gathering.
In front of Dagbladet, Medvedev expressed his gratitude to Oseshkin.
– He is the only person who supports me now, and he is the only person who has helped me, and he continues to help me further, says Medvedev to Dagbladet.
The high-profile activist Vladimir Osetshkin and his organization Gulagu Net helped Medvedev flee when he chose to break with the Wagner group late last year.
We meet him at a hotel in Karl Johans gate on Saturday, together with Wagner defector Andrej Medvedev.
In front of the hotel are two black SUVs belonging to the Police Security Service, which together with French security guards accompany the Russian activist at all times.
– Surrounded
The stay in Norway was short and hectic.
– The plan was for the two of us to talk alone. Unfortunately, there was little time for that. We have been surrounded by journalists since I arrived, says Oseshkin.
– But at the same time, it would have been much worse without this attention. The world needs to know what is happening.
MET: Vladimir Osechkin and Wagner defector Andrej Medvedev plan to write a book about the Wagner group and Medvedev’s history. Photo: Kristin Svorte / Dagbladet
sea view
When Andrej Medvedev broke with the feared mercenary group Wagner, it was Oseshkin and his organization who helped him out.
Medvedev has previously described being shot at on his way across the Pasvikelva, in a very dramatic escape.
During his short day in Norway, Oseshkin helped Medvedev with money to buy clothes and other things he needed.
Calling out details of the escape
Writing a book
At the same time, they have also discussed the further process for a book they plan to write together.
– We have discussed several working titles for the book. “The most important thing is to survive” is one of them. I myself have written a book about Prigozhin and the Wagner group, about how they sent several thousand from prison and straight into the war, says Oseshkin.
He adds that Medvedev will contribute his own history.
– There is much drama and tragedy in his story. It is impossible to understand the choices he has made without understanding his history, says Oseshkin.
– I want to tell the truth, so that the readers can form their own opinion about what happened there. It is important for the future that the people who are to blame for this are not referred to as heroes, says Medvedev to Dagbladet.
Medvedev himself has denied having committed war crimes in Ukraine. He will not elaborate on what he did there while the investigation is ongoing.
Witness openly
One of the reasons why Medvedev in particular is interesting, Osetshkin believes, is that he is the first person who has been associated with the infamous mercenary group’s warfare in Ukraine who wants to speak freely and openly about war crimes.
– In the last six months, we have received a stream of information about the Wagner group’s inhumane practices and war crimes, but our sources are afraid to speak and testify, says Oseshkin in a statement he prepared for the press on his way to Norway.
– That is why I flew to Oslo to support Andrej Medvedev, who was the first to openly testify against Wagner and Prigozhin’s leadership, so that the world learns the truth from a man who was there himself, and who has seen it with his own eyes, writes he further.
STRICT GUARDS: Vladimir Osetshkin was constantly surrounded by security guards, both French who traveled with him and Norwegians from PST. Photo: Kristin Svorte / Dagbladet
sea view
– Very new
26-year-old Medvedev clearly expresses that the attention surrounding him has been overwhelming. He was surprised by the massive press turnout when he turned up to welcome Oseshkin at Gardermoen.
– It’s very new to me. The situation at the airport was a great strain.
What he has done, seen and experienced in Ukraine, he is currently not speaking to the press about.
– What did you do in Ukraine?
– The war.
– Can you elaborate on that?
– We obeyed orders from the commander, and participated in hostilities at Bakhmut. But I cannot say anything about the details of the hostilities while the interrogations are ongoing, says Medvedev.
– When the interrogations are over, I will tell everything.
– What would you say to those who react to your presence here?
– I want to apologize to the entire Ukrainian people. I understand what has happened and am now speaking out against the war. Some may think that I am doing this to have a comfortable and normal life in Europe. It’s not like that. I am doing everything in my power to show that I am against the war, says Medvedev.
– Do you know of others who have deserted from the Wagner group?
– I know of several attempts to escape, and have heard stories of people who have escaped. But I don’t know anything about how things have gone with them, he says.
Hanged out by Russians
– Fears no one
He has previously been dissatisfied with the strict security system he has been subject to. The police briefly considered detaining him for the same reason, but eventually decided not to do so.
Medvedev now walks around Oslo as a free man.
He tells Dagbladet that the Norwegian authorities have offered him a security scheme with his own house to live in. He says, however, that he has declined this, because he likes the freedom.
– I fear no one. I am careful, but I am not afraid, says Medvedev.
Medvedev states that he does not know anyone in Norway. He grew up in an orphanage in Siberia, and has no parents.
Vladimir Osetshkin claimed on his arrival on Friday that Ukrainian intelligence and other international investigators want contact with Medvedev, and that he will help with this.
Complains about smoking breaks
Dramatic escape
In an earlier interview with Dagbladet, Osechkin claimed that there was a manhunt for Medvedev after he handed over his credentials to the Wagner group.
Oseshkin and Gulagu Net decided to help the 26-year-old. Medvedev was flown to Moscow and questioned by a lawyer who accepted what Osetshkin describes as an official statement.
– We understood that his life could be in danger. When he realized that he could be arrested and then handed over to Prigozhin – who could have him killed, he fled.
Dagbladet has spoken to several defense experts, who consider it almost impossible to cross this border illegally. They believe there is a real probability that the help came from Russian border guards.
