Finland has deported a Russian individual who illegally entered the country in June, according to a report from the border guard provided to AFP on Monday. Local media indicated that he was a former mercenary with the Wagner private military group.
The man, whose name and age have not been revealed, was apprehended by Finnish border guards on June 17 after he crossed the border illegally through a forest near Kitee, a town in eastern Finland. He applied for asylum in Finland, but his application was denied by immigration officials, leading to his deportation order.
Mikko Kallinen from the North Karelia Border Guard District stated that the deportation was executed on November 14.
“Our patrol escorted him to the Niirala border crossing, after which he moved into Russian territory,” Kallinen informed AFP.
Although officials did not disclose his identity, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported that his first name is Yevgeny, and he had previously worked as a contract fighter for Russia’s Wagner group.
Kallinen mentioned that a preliminary investigation substantiated the man’s military history, but he refrained from commenting on his alleged connections to Wagner.
On social media, the individual referred to himself as a member of Wagner and criticized the military leadership in Russia, as reported by Yle.
Documents from the pre-trial investigation that AFP had access to revealed that the man asserted he had been engaged in combat in Ukraine before escaping from the country.
In December 2023, Finland closed its border with Russia in response to a surge of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants, which Helsinki accused of being part of a hybrid strategy employed by the Kremlin.
Finland is currently constructing a 200-kilometer (124-mile) fence along its border with Russia, with the completion scheduled for 2026 at an estimated cost of 380 million euros (about $441 million).
In 2023, another Russian man claiming to be a deserter from Wagner sought asylum in Norway after making it to the Scandinavian nation. His application for asylum was ultimately declined, but he was granted a temporary residency permit due to potential threats he could face if he returned to Russia.
