Andrey Medvedev: Wagner deserter admits Norway bar brawl

Andrey Medvedev in uniform before defecting from Wagner

A former commander in Russia's Wagner mercenary group who is seeking asylum in Norway has pleaded guilty to being involved in a fight outside an Oslo bar and carrying an air gun in public.

Andrey Medvedev, who crossed into Norway from Russia in January, is believed to be the first member of the Wagner group to defect to the West.

Mr Medvedev said he felt "very ashamed" for the crimes he admitted to.

But he denied assaulting police officers in the Norwegian capital.

The Wagner group has been used in many Russian operations in the Ukraine war. UK officials estimate it makes up 10% of Moscow's forces in Ukraine.

The former mercenary pleaded guilty to fighting outside the bar on 22 February and preventing a police officer from doing their duty. The alleged assault of officers at the police station - which he denies - happened on the same night.

He pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun in public three weeks later.

A police officer told the court that Mr Medvedev had been "visibly drunk" and "in fight mode" on the night of the brawl.

The accused's lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, said that Mr Medvedev "understands that he was out of hand that evening and consumed too much alcohol, and there was a fight with people outside the bar".

"He does not accept the count of using violence towards a policeman. That was a misunderstanding. He never touched the policeman."

Mr Medvedev told the court that he instinctively reacted to the pain of being restrained, but "had no intention of hurting anyone".

He also admitted to buying an air gun for "self-defence" due to the fear of being attacked. It is illegal to carry air guns in public in Norway.

Prosecutor Vegard Gjertsen requested a jail sentence of 18 days, including the five days he had already spent under arrest, for the violence against police, and a suspended sentence for the offences he admitted to.

A verdict is expected on 2 May.

There is no suggestion he would be expelled from Norway if found guilty.

• A Russian mercenary's account of an icy escape to Norway

Mr Medvedev's claims of his dramatic escape from Wagner made headlines around the world in January.

He described scrambling over barbed wire guarding the Norwegian border as Russian guards and their dogs closed in.

Founded in 2014, the Wagner group is run by the businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. It has played an increasingly important role in Ukraine, and has become notorious for its often inhumane methods.

Mr Medvedev claims to have witnessed a host of war crimes - including seeing "deserters being executed" by the Wagner group's internal security service - while fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

At the time, it was reported that the ex-commander decided to leave after being informed that his contract would be extended indefinitely, and witnessing the group's "terroristic methods".

Mr Medvedev has indicated he is willing to testify against senior figures in the mercenary group.

But since his escape in January, Mr Medvedev has faced legal issues.

In January, he was briefly arrested for refusing to follow restrictions imposed by police, his lawyer told the AFP news agency.

He was also arrested in Sweden in March. He claimed to have crossed the border to buy cheaper cigarettes, without knowing he could not leave Norway while his asylum application was being processed.