On November 14, Finnish border guards deported a Finnish citizen to Russia after he had been detained for illegally crossing the border. The man, who identified himself as Evgeny, requested political asylum, citing his service with the Wagner PMC and his desire to avoid combat.

According to the Finnish publication Yle, the incident occurred on June 17 near the city of Kitee. Border sensors detected movement, after which a patrol discovered and detained the trespasser, who had crossed an unfenced forested area. The detainee announced his flight from Russia.

The Finnish Border Guard confirmed his military experience but declined to comment further. In July, Yle published videos from social media in which the man appears as a company commander in the 433rd Motorized Rifle Regiment and describes the fighting in Selidovo. The outlet also found a recording from June 30 in which the detainee criticized the Russian army.

The Russian side has not yet commented on the incident.