Andrei Medvedev pleaded guilty in a court in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday to taking part in a fight outside a bar in February and resisting police when he was arrested three weeks later.
However, the 26-year-old, who has applied for asylum in Norway, alleges that he assaulted officers at the police station. Medvedev was briefly arrested in January for not following police instructions. In March he was briefly detained in neighboring Sweden for having left the country, contrary to the requirements for asylum seekers, to buy cigarettes, according to his lawyer.
Fought in Ukraine for four months
Medvedev claims to have fought in Ukraine for four months as a member of the Wagner group. In November he deserted when the mercenary group extended his contract against his will.
Norwegian authorities have questioned the 26-year-old to get information about alleged human rights violations in Ukraine. He stated that he knew of executions of deserted Wagner members and that he had a corresponding video.
His past and the circumstances of his escape continue to raise many questions. Some experts doubt that Medvedev was able to cross the heavily guarded border between Russia and Norway unaided. He claims to have run across the frozen border river Pasvik, chased by dogs and Russian border guards. The information could not be confirmed by an independent party.
