Russian commander fleeing from the Wagner mercenary army: They were killing those who did not want to fight
The Russian Wagner mercenary army, known for participating in the conflicts in Syria, Libya and African countries, plays a key role with thousands of mercenaries in the increasingly fierce war in Ukraine.
Although Russia previously denied Wagner’s connection to the state, images of Russian leader Vladimir Putin wearing medals for Wagner’s fighters have recently drawn attention. The name of Wagner’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has also popped up among Putin’s successors in recent months.
The group is said to pay mercenaries about $1,500 a month and $2,000 if they go to the front.
Medvedev, who said he feared for his life, entered Norway illegally crossing the 200-kilometre border with Russia earlier this month using a fake press card.
While the rise of Wagner’s group drew attention, the organization came to the fore with another development in recent weeks. Andrey Medvedev, said to be a senior member of the Russian military company Wagner, sought asylum by fleeing to Norway and was later arrested for entering the country illegally.
Knowing many of Wagner’s secrets, Medvedev gave his first CNN interview after his escape and made important statements about the mysterious organization.
Explaining that he decided to flee because of the atrocities he saw as Wagner’s manager, Russian said mercenaries were usually sent to the front lines with very little information and cruel methods were used against reluctant soldiers. “They rounded up those who didn’t want to fight and shot them in front of the new arrivals,” said Medvedev, who was interviewed at the Oslo prison.
‘WHAT WAS NOT INSTRUCTIONS AND TACTICS’
Noting that he joined Wagner voluntarily and went to fight in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2021, the 26-year-old argued that Wagner was ahead of the Russian army in the Ukrainian war. Describing Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, to whom he reports directly, as “the devil”, Medvedev said regarding the organization’s methods of warfare: “There is no real tactic. We did not receive any instructions on what to do.” said.
Medvedev said that many Russians who died in the war were considered “disappeared” and that he saw heroic stories on both sides that moved him. Medvedev added that he hopes his narrative will lead to the prosecution of Putin and Prigozhin.