A former Wagner mercenary says the brutality he witnessed in Ukraine ultimately pushed him to defect, in an exclusive CNN interview on Monday.

Andrei Medvedev, who escaped Russia in January, was arrested for trying to illegally cross the border back into Russia, his lawyer said. REUTERS.

Andrei Medvedev fought with Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine, then requested asylum in Norway. The authorities there must now weigh his plea against solidarity with Ukraine.

An ex-Wagner group commander was shot at and arrested by Norwegian police, Reuters reported. Police said Andrei Medvedev was trying to sneak back into Russia illegally. Medvedev abandoned Russia ...

Andrei Medvedev is a former commander of Russia's Wagner Group, a private paramilitary organization accused of human rights violations—most recently in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The official Andrei Medvedev Web site has the all-but-retired Ukrainian tennis player pictured with a number of friends, among them current Russian tennis stars Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin.

Wagner Group Commander Andrei Medvedev revealed the reason he fled his unit in the mercenary army, which continues to assist Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Andrei Medvedev, who crossed the Russian-Norwegian border on Jan. 13, said he witnessed the killing and mistreatment by Wagner of Russian convicts taken to Ukraine to fight for the group.

Andrei Medvedev escaped from Russia in January, saying he feared for his life after he witnessed the killing and mistreatment of former prisoners by the mercenary group. IE 11 is not supported.