Andrei Medvedev, who presents himself as a deserter from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, will be tried in Norway, where he took refuge, after being involved in a brawl in Oslo, the Norwegian prosecutor's office announced on Friday.
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The 26-year-old Russian was arrested overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday following a fight outside a bar in the Norwegian capital, according to the indictment, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
The exact circumstances of the brawl are not specified but, according to court documents, Andrei Medvedev, in a state of intoxication, resisted arrest and then physically attacked the police once he arrived at the station.
He will be tried on April 25.
Valuable testimony on war crimes
Saying he had fought in Ukraine in Wagner's uniform for four months before deserting in November, he had crossed the Russian-Norwegian border into the Arctic on the night of January 12 to 13 through barbed wire and under the bullets of guards Russians chased after him with dogs, according to his account.
Having sought asylum in Norway, he has declared himself ready to testify about the brutality of the Wagner group, a potentially valuable contribution to shed light on the question of war crimes of which Russia is accused in Ukraine.
He claims in particular to be aware of executions by Wagner of mercenaries refusing to return to combat and says he has in his possession a video showing these abuses.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: a silent Russian society but damaged in its depths
Since his arrival in the Scandinavian country where he was interrogated by a police unit responsible for investigating war crimes, Andrei Medvedev has given the authorities a hard time.
In January, he was briefly arrested for, according to his lawyer, "
breaches of the security rules surrounding him
".
A few days later, this same lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, gave up representing him, without providing an explanation.
Many questions remain about Andrei Medvedev's personality, his career and the circumstances of his flight.
Many experts believe that the ex-mercenary could not cross the heavily guarded border without assistance.
AFP has not been able to independently confirm the veracity of his comments.
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