Russian ex-soldier Alexander Lunin threatens mutiny unless Putin grants live meeting, video goes viral

The video ultimatum

Alexander Lunin, a 39-year-old junior sergeant from Voronezh, published a video on Instagram demanding that President Vladimir Putin grant him a live televised meeting. He threatened that if his demand is not met, "the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin." Lunin said he was conveying a message from unnamed high-ranking representatives of Russia's defence ministry and security services. The video quickly went viral, attracting nearly 11 million views within a day.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich, please pay attention to this: invite me to the Kremlin! If I do not appear live on television soon, the consequences will be very serious. The army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin.”

Charges of torture and extortion

In the recording, Lunin described a grim picture of life on the front. Thousands of soldiers are held in pits and tortured for refusing to carry out "stupid, suicidal orders" or for declining to hand over money to their commanders, he said. Those who resist are then liquidated and reported missing. "Dozens, hundreds, thousands of our soldiers are rotting in earth pits right now," Lunin told the camera.

“This is not a bluff. If something happens to me or my family, it will be the signal for the start of action.”

Who is Alexander Lunin?

Lunin, who changed his surname from Pustovalov, served in the 150th Motorized Rifle Division and was wounded in action. He joined the volunteer battalion Sudoplatov in 2022, which operated under occupation authorities in Melitopol, and rose from rifleman to reconnaissance platoon commander. He was expelled from the army in 2025 after posting a video that showed two soldiers being sent into combat without weapons. Since early 2026, he has run his own social media channel, posting over 700 videos on Instagram since March, often with footage sent by still-serving comrades. He says the material is "terrible."

Kremlin reacts

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that officials were aware of the appeal but had not yet examined it in detail. "Judging by what we have heard, it contains rather strange formulations, so we first need to study it," Peskov told reporters. The Russian state did not immediately confirm Lunin's claim that defence ministry and security service officials had approached him to relay a message to Putin.