Russian War Veteran Reportedly Jailed After Threatening Armed Revolt Against Kremlin
A judge in the southern Voronezh region has found a Ukraine war veteran guilty of “displaying extremist or Nazi symbols,” days after he posted a video online threatening to take up arms against the Kremlin if President Vladimir Putin refused to meet with him.
Alexander Lunin drew widespread attention last week after claiming the Russian army would “turn its weapons against the Kremlin” unless Putin personally met with him to address the alleged abuse of soldiers by military commanders. The video has since garnered millions of views on social media.
The Kremlin said Friday it was aware of the video but had not yet watched it.
Independent Russian media outlets subsequently verified Lunin’s identity as a 39-year-old combat veteran residing in the Voronezh region.
According to the exiled news outlet Vyorstka, a judge at the Rossoshansky District Court found Lunin guilty of “displaying extremist or Nazi symbols,” which is an administrative offense for first-time offenders.
The court’s official website confirmed that the ruling was made on Saturday morning and published on Monday.
While a post on Lunin’s Telegram channel on Saturday evening claimed he had been jailed for 11 days on unspecified charges, the official court registry did not disclose the exact penalty.
Under Russian law, the maximum punishment for “displaying extremist or Nazi symbols” is 15 days in detention, though judges frequently opt for fines instead.
“Such cases are closed to the public,” Vyorstka quoted a court spokesperson as saying, leaving the precise nature of his sentence unconfirmed by judicial authorities.
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