He went for cigarettes

The alleged deserter from the Wagner PMC, 26-year-old Andrei Medvedev, was arrested for illegal stay in Sweden

On Thursday, it became known that the alleged Vagner defector Andrei Medvedev, who arrived in Norway in January, was detained in Sweden. The reason for the detention is that Medvedev is not allowed to be in other countries except Norway, while his application for asylum is considered by the Norwegian authorities.

Medvedev now lives in the Norwegian capital - Oslo. This week he got on the bus to the Swedish city of Getorg - supposedly in order to buy cheap cigarettes. Gooteborg is the second largest city in Sweden, located about 30 miles south of Oslo, on the western coast of the country.

In Norway, a pack of 20 cigarettes costs about 150 Norwegian crowns, which corresponds to approximately 1200 rubles. In Sweden, prices are much lower.

According to Medvedev himself, which is broadcast by human rights activists, this is precisely this, in addition to the desire to “ride a little”, that caused Medvedev decided to go to another country.

Norwegians living in the regions border with Sweden usually go across the border for purchases, since many products are cheaper there.

Medvedev was arrested after he was late for a bus, which was supposed to take him back to Norway. Lady of him, he went along the road on foot - and was detained by a police patrol. The Norwegian lawyer Medvedev Brunulf Rises said that the arrest was based on a misunderstanding: “He thought he could go to Sweden. Unfortunately, asylum suppliers do not have such an opportunity, ”Risnes answered a written request from the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

Risnes emphasizes that Medvedev regrets and hopes that he will be quickly transferred to Norway. According to Risness, the arrest in Sweden should not affect the assessment of whether Medvedev will be provided asylum. “He will be transferred back to Norway, as soon as all formalities are settled. When this can happen, only Swedish immigration authorities know, ”writes Risnes.

In a conversation with the “new” lawyer, Risnes repeated the version of the non -mentioned violation committed by his client and expressed the confidence that the incident would not affect the process of consideration of the application for asylum.

This is not the first time that Medvedev is faced with problems after he arrived in Norway on January 13 of this year and filed a petition for political asylum.

At the end of February, the former PMC fighter was arrested after he got into a fight in a bar in Oslo. He also attacked the police patrol who tried to detain him.

Medvedev should appear in the Oslo County Court on April 25. The prosecutor charged with a total of three points of the Criminal Code.

Medvedev himself claims to be part of the Russian group of PMC Wagner in 2022, before he escaped from Russia. According to Medvedev, he himself participated in hostilities in Ukraine. After crossing the border, he submitted a statement of asylum in Norway. Subsequently, he was arrested in accordance with the Law on Immigration and sent to the immigration center of detention of Tranchu. Later he was released and now lives in Oslo.

Amund Tre endlevik, Norway