Finland Expels Alleged Wagner Fighter After Illegal Border Crossing

Finnish border authorities have deported a Russian national who crossed into the country without authorization, the North Karelia Border Guard reported on November 14, according to Yle on November 15.

Earlier reporting by Finland’s Yle suggested the individual—identified only as Yevgeny—claimed to be fleeing the war and had previously served in the Wagner Group . He appeared in multiple images from the east of Ukraine and had publicly described himself as a Wagner fighter on social media, where he posted videos criticizing Russia’s military leadership.

The Border Guard confirmed that the man had a military background, though it declined to provide specifics. It added that this information came to light only after his detention.

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According to Yle, a Russian soldier was apprehended on 17 June in the municipality of Kitee after illegally crossing the heavily monitored Finnish-Russian border through a wooded area. Authorities said he was detected through the border surveillance system, which triggered sensors and guided a patrol to his location.

Meanwhile, a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border patrol boat was recently seen on the Narva River—the waterway dividing Estonia and Russia—flying a Wagner private military company flag, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. The sighting drew immediate attention in Tallinn.

Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented publicly, sharing a photograph of the vessel and wryly suggesting that Wagner fighters might have “annexed” Russia’s own border service.

Earlier, a court in the United Kingdom handed down sentences to six men involved in an arson attack on an East London warehouse that provided humanitarian aid and Starlink equipment to Ukraine. The attack was carried out on instructions linked to Russia’s Wagner Group.

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