The Norwegian lawyer says that the former Wagner commander witnessed his comrades being shot for running away. |
OSLO, 26 january (Reuters) – A former commander of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” who fled to Norway was shot by some of his comrades while trying to escape from the front line in Ukraine.flour told that he was a witness, his Norwegian lawyer told Reuters.
On January 13 Russia– Andrey Medvedev, who crossed the Norwegian border and escaped from Russia, said he feared for his life after witnessing the killing and ill-treatment of Russian prisoners taken to Ukraine to fight for Wagner.
Medvedev was released from custody on Wednesday after a “misunderstanding” with police over security measures. free After that, he lives in a secret place in Oslo.
His lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, told Reuters that Medvedev saw some “unbelievably terrible” situations when he fought Wagner last fall.
Risnes quoted Medvedev as saying in an interview that he witnessed “the shooting of his comrades while watching them for trying to escape.”
His lawyer said that the Russian is “slowly coming to terms with what happened”.
“His life was chaotic and dangerous and very stressful for a very long time,” Risnes said, “especially in the fall when he was in Ukraine with the Wagner group.”
“But, of course, his life has not been easy before.”
11 months ago Russia thousands of Ukrainian civilians were killed, millions of people were uprooted, and cities were destroyed after the attack of Ukrainian forces on Ukraine.
Risnes said that Norway military investigating crimes national criminal the police service Kripos has begun and will continue to question him about his experiences in Ukraine.
Kripos International A crime It is part of the project of investigating war crimes in Ukraine.
His lawyer said other groups, such as the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Clooney Foundation, were also interested in speaking with Medvedev.
“The key thing will be to coordinate so we don’t have to ask all the questions five or ten times,” Risnes said.
Reporting by Ilze Filks; Written by Gwladys Fuche; Edited by Grant McCool
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2023-01-27 00:42:27
Source – reuters
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