Impacts of war in Kyiv. Source : Ales Uscinў via Pexels.
A former mercenary for the Russian Wagner Group said he defected due to the brutality he witnessed.
In an exclusive CNN interview, Andrei Medvedev, 26, said his decision was fueled by what he saw in Ukrainian battle zones.
Medvedev told Anderson Cooper that Wagner mercenaries were sent into battle without much direction.
Medvedev is currently seeking asylum in Oslo, Norway.
“There were no real tactics at all.” Medvedev said.
“We just got orders about the position of the adversary.
“There were no definitive orders about how we should behave.
“We just planned how we would go about it, step-by-step.
“Who would open fire, what kind of shifts we would have.” He said.
Medvedev said those who did not want to fight were made an example of by the company.
They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers.” Medvedev alleged.
“They brought two prisoners who refused to go fight and they shot them in front of everyone and buried them right in the trenches that were dug by trainees.” He said.
His statements have not been independently verified, and Wagner has not commented on the situation.
Medvedev was deployed in Ukraine less than 10 days after he signed his contract with Wagner in July 2022.
He served in the Donetsk region, near Bakhmut.
Medvedev said his immediate superiors were the founders of Wagner, Dmitry Utkin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, where he called Prigozhin “the devil”.
“If he was a Russian hero, he would have taken a gun and urn with the soldiers.” Medvedev said.
Prigozhin has previously confirmed Medvedev served as a Wagner soldier, however he also said that Medvedev should be prosecuted for “attempting to mistreat prisoners”.
Medvedev told CNN that by his sixth day in Ukraine, he knew he did not want to return.
“You know, I saw courage on both sides, on the Ukrainian side as well, and our boys too…I just want them to know that.” Medvedev said.
“Sooner or later the propaganda in Russia will stop working, the people will rise up and all our leaders…will be up for grabs and a new leader will emerge.” He said.
Medvedev said the death of Wagner defector Yevgeny Nuzhin, who was murdered on camera with a sledgehammer, was one of the key factors in getting him to leave.
