The police’s immigration unit (PU) informs NRK that they will release the former Russian Wagner soldier Andrej Medvedev.
“The reason for the release is that the conditions for further detention that follow
Section 106 of the Immigration Act deals with conditions for arrest and detention. A foreigner can be arrested and detained when the person in question does not cooperate in clarifying his identity, for example.
” data-term=”immigration law § 106″>immigration law § 106 is no longer present”, writes acting head of the legal section at PU, Jon Andreas Johansen, to NRK.
PU says that they do not have the opportunity to be interviewed in connection with the case due to confidentiality.
– Very satisfied
– What happens next now?
– We don’t know that in detail yet. Now we have to find a good solution outside of Trandum, says lawyer Brynjulf Risnes, who is defending the case, to NRK.
Where the Russian defector will live in Norway is not yet known.
– We all have to deal with the fact that there may be a risk associated with this. We have to see what becomes possible and what is said going forward, says Risnes.
– How is he now?
– He is very satisfied.
Has applied for asylum
The former mercenary fled to Norway on Friday 13 January. He himself states that he took part in the fighting around Bakhmut in Ukraine.
Medvedev recently applied for asylum in Norway after crossing the Pasvikelva outside Kirkenes.
– I can confirm that he has applied for asylum, and that application is processed in the usual way. He has the right to accommodation, a press spokesperson in the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration tells NRK.
For privacy reasons, the Directorate of Immigration does not want to say anything more about where one
provide temporary shelter, accommodate
” data-term=”accommodation”>accommodation will be, or give any further comment in connection with the matter.
Interrogation
Kripos has interrogated Medvedev about his service in the Wagner group. He was with the Russian mercenary group Wagner for several months in 2022 before escaping, according to the human rights organization Gulagu.net.
The Norwegian authorities have not indicated that they want to send him back to Russia.
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