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A Russian army veteran has been jailed after threatening President Vladimir Putin with a mutiny and posting videos accusing the military of abusing soldiers.
The veteran, Alexander Lunin, was found guilty of displaying “extremist” symbols by a district court in Russia’s Voronezh region, according to court documents published on Monday. Although the court did not reveal the exact symbols involved or the length of his sentence, a post on Lunin’s Telegram account said he had been jailed for 11 days.
The 39-year-old volunteered to fight in Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and reportedly served on the front line before returning home.
Last week Thursday, he posted videos on Instagram demanding a meeting with Putin and claiming that many Russian soldiers were being tortured and mistreated for refusing what he described as “mindless, suicidal orders.”
“If I don’t come to the Kremlin soon and speak live, right next to you, the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin,” Lunin said in one of the videos.
The video quickly gained millions of views online.
Responding on Friday, the Kremlin said it had not seen the video but described its language as having “strange wording.”
Since launching its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, Russia has tightened wartime censorship, with criticism of the government, the military and Putin becoming increasingly rare.
Direct public criticism of the Russian leader is also uncommon under the country’s strict information laws.
