The soldier who illegally snuck into Finland through the woods and asked for asylum in June was deported back to Russia on Friday. It was in the evening on June 17 that the North Karelian Border Guards detained a man for illegally crossing the border from Russia into Finland in Välivaara. This forested area, which is located north of the Russian town of Sortavala, has no fence on the Finnish side. The man asked for asylum in Finland, according to the Border Guards' short news release. In July, Finnish broadcasting company YLE reported about the asylum seeker's background as a mercenary with the notorious Wagner group. The man had posted videos on social media showing himself in Wagner uniform in areas in Ukraine where serious war crimes have occurred. The man, identified as Yevgeny, said in the social media video that his assault unit had fought in eastern Ukraine, including in Bakhmut and around Selydove. In the video, he harshly criticizes Russia for its treatment of soldiers and for lying to their families. According to YLE, Yevgeny was recruited to the Wagner Group directly from prison where he was serving a 6-year sentence for robbing a jewellery store in Omsk in 2023. His request for protection in Finland, however, was turned down. On Friday November 14, the Finnish Border Guard reported that the man has now been deported back to Russia.
Авторское резюме: Финляндия депортировала бойца группы Wagner обратно в Россию после запроса убежища и преследования по месту ранее аресту; источник информации — публичные заявления пограничной охраны и сообщения YLE.