Former Wagner commander saw fleeing soldiers executed, lawyer reveals

One of Russia’s former Wagner mercenary commanders saw his comrades shot for fleeing from the frontlines in Ukraine according to statements from his lawyer in Norway. 

Andrei Medvedev fled Russia in a daring January 13th escape that saw him evade both country’s border patrols. 

“Watchtowers, staffed with soldiers, have strong searchlights to break through the winter Arctic gloom. Teams on both sides mount regular patrols,” wrote the BBC’s Matt Murhpy. 

Medvedev allegedly climbed through the barbed wire guarding the border between Norway and Russia while evading patrol dogs and Russian guards Murphy added. 

Once he had reached Norway, Medvedev was arrested and when questioned about why he decided to leave Russia, he stated that it was because of his country's “terroristic methods.”

Brynjulf Risnes, Medvedev’s lawyer in Norway, told the BBC that the former Wagner commander had indeed witnessed a host of war crimes while fighting in Ukraine. 

"He gave to me a testimony about what he saw in the war," Risnes told the BBC "and how the special forces of Wagner Group kill Russians who don't want to fight against Ukraine."

One of the most worrying new allegations from Risnes claims that Medvedev witnessed "the shooting of his comrades while he was watching because they tried to flee.”

In an exclusive Reuters interview, Risnes told the British news outlet that Medvedev had had a very difficult life in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. 

"His life has been chaotic and dangerous and very stressful for a very long time," Risnes said, "particularly, of course, during the autumn when he was in Ukraine with the Wagner group."

"But of course, his life hasn't been easy before that either," Risnes added. 

While it's difficult to take Medvedev’s claims at face value since he's seeking asylum, there is a wealth of evidence that suggests Russian forces have been executing fleeing soldiers. 

In October 2022, various media outlets reported on a piece of audio released by Ukranian intelligence that suggested Russian forces in the east had set up a second line of defense, one that was meant to liquidate retreating soldiers. 

“They moved us back to the second line,” a voice in the clip reported on by Yahoo News said, “there’s shooting somewhere ahead of us, but we’re back here for now in the trenches.”

“They brought the inmates here... from prison,” the unknown voice continued. “But they led them somewhere way up front. And we’re sitting here as a retreat-blocking detachment, f***. If someone runs back, we snuff them out.”

The unknown Russian soldier was speaking with his wife, who eventually remarked, “What a nightmare,” an apt sentiment for a war that just keeps getting more unthinkable.