Andrei Medvedev crossed the border from Russia to Finnmark in Norway in January and was arrested by police there. He applied for asylum, saying he feared for his life.
His account of his defection and of war crimes committed by the Wagner Group in the war of invasion in Ukraine aroused international interest and was seen as potentially important testimony.
The human rights organization Gulag.nu stated that Medvedev had a four-month contract in the Wagner Group and that he fled the war mission.
Consulate visited
Norwegian security police investigated the case at the same time.
On Thursday, the Norwegian news agency NTB received information confirmed that the 26-year-old Medvedev wants to return to Russia and that he visited the Russian consulate in Oslo.
In the past, Medvedev has said in a Youtube post that he wants to go to his home country, He has also said that he "no longer wants to be a pawn in a big game".
But Medvedev's lawyer Brynjulf Risnes writes in a text message to NTB that "it seems to be a misunderstanding".
"But unfortunately I don't know anything about this."
Be Prepared to Testify
In previous interviews with NTB, Medvedev has said that he was prepared to testify about Russian abuses.
The latest messages on social media indicate resignation:
"I hoped to find peace and quiet here (in Norway), that I could leave politics, wars, the military behind, but I haven't been able to do it," he said in Russian.
"We'll see what happens in Russia. If they kill me, okay. If they don't, thank you very much. If I can live even more, thank you," he said.