Alexander Lunin from Voronezh region, who runs a blog on Instagram and other platforms and calls himself a “veteran of the war in Ukraine,” recorded an appeal to Vladimir Putin.
In four hours, the video on Instagram received more than 3.5 million views and over 125,000 likes.
In the video, Lunin claims that on June 24 and 25 he met with officials, including representatives of the Defense Ministry and security agencies. According to him, they gave him a message for the Russian president: “If he does not grant an audience live on air, I will tell the whole truth about what is happening in our country right now.”
Why, according to Lunin’s version, officials chose him for such a mission, he did not specify.
In the appeal, the blogger said that dozens, hundreds and thousands of Russian soldiers, according to him, are being held in “zindans”—pits where they are allegedly detained and punished by their own commanders.
“They sit there, rot, and are subjected to torture and violence by the so-called Gestapo. Because they refused to carry out stupid suicidal orders. Because they refused to hand over their money,” Lunin said.
He also claims that such servicemen are then “zeroed out” and listed as missing.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, pay attention to this, invite me to meet with you,” the blogger said.
Lunin also threatened “serious consequences” if he is not allowed to appear next to Putin live on air.
“If in the near future I do not come to the Kremlin and appear live on air next to you, the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin. I am only passing on the message,” he said.
In another video, Lunin said that “this is not a bluff,” and that if anything happens to him or his family, it will become “a signal to begin action.” The blogger is prepared to reveal who, according to him, came to see him and delivered the message for Putin only to the president and only live on air.
“I am passing on a message, nothing more. I am not the leader of an uprising. They came to me for one simple reason: because I cannot be bought, because the president heard me,” Lunin said.
He also promised “a meat grinder in the country.”