Support The Moscow Times!

Norway Jails Ex-Wagner Commander for Beating Woman, Attacking Bartender

Andrei Medvedev. © Thomas Nilsen / The Barents Observer

An ex-commander from Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway last year has been sentenced to 120 days in prison for beating a woman and assaulting a bartender, The Barents Observer reported Tuesday.

The Vestfold District Court in Norway found Andrei Medvedev guilty of beating his friend and assaulting a bartender who refused to serve him a drink. It was not immediately clear if Medvedev was in a relationship with the woman.

According to The Barents Observer, both crimes were committed late last year as Medvedev awaited an asylum request. He was reportedly heavily intoxicated when he threatened the bartender with a knife, while that same night, he beat his friend because he was upset that she was talking on the phone with someone.

“Medvedev pushed [the woman] onto the bed, spat in her face several times, held her on the bed and hit her hard in the face with his palm and fist several times,” the judge was quoted as saying by The Barents Observer.

The former Wagner fighter was also said to have bitten the woman’s arms multiple times and threatened to kill her. Medvedev claimed in court that his friend beat herself up and that he only threw coins at the bartender.

Medvedev fled to Norway in January 2023 after deserted from the front line in eastern Ukraine, where he fought as a mercenary for the Wagner group. He claims to have seen executions at a Wagner center where the group was training inmates recruited from Russia’s prison system.

A potentially valuable witness in shedding light on the notorious mercenary outfit’s reported brutality in Ukraine, Medvedev had several run-ins with Norwegian authorities since arriving in the Scandinavian country.

In April 2023, he was handed a suspended prison sentence over a drunken brawl, while that same month, he was arrested after illegally traveling to neighboring Sweden.

Norway rejected Medvedev’s asylum request in February, saying that since he was a mercenary fighter and not a soldier in Russia’s regular forces, he was not eligible for special protection. However, authorities did grant him a temporary residency permit in Norway citing the dangers he faces in Russia.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more