Finland Sends Former Wagner Mercenary Seeking Asylum Back to Russia

Finland has deported to Russia a former Wagner PMC mercenary who tried to seek asylum after fleeing across the border.

The Finnish outlet Yle reported the incident.

He was deported five months after Finnish border guards detained him on June 17, 2025, in the town of Kitee (North Karelia province) for illegally crossing the border from Russia.

It was later established that the man, known as ‘Evgeny,’ had previously served in the Wagner private military company. During questioning, he stated that he was fleeing the war and had applied for international protection in Finland.

Despite his request for asylum, the Finnish authorities decided to return him to Russia.

It should be noted that this mercenary had previously given interviews to Russian pro-government media in which he spoke about his participation in combat operations in Ukraine. He claimed that he voluntarily joined the Russian armed forces in 2022, underwent training with the Wagner PMC, and took part in operations in Bakhmut. In one interview, he described how his unit destroyed a vehicle carrying Ukrainian soldiers near Selydove, and he also mentioned fighting in other regions of Ukraine.

Since autumn 2024, the man had disappeared from the public eye. In February 2025, a video appeared in which he sharply criticized the Russian military leadership. Later, on June 30, he released another similar video – according to Yle, by that time he was already in Finland.