The Kremlin said Friday it was aware of, but had not yet seen, a viral video featuring a Russian man identifying himself as a Ukraine war veteran who threatened to stage an armed uprising unless President Vladimir Putin met with him to discuss the alleged abuse of soldiers by military commanders.
In the video, which has garnered millions of views on social media, a man in military uniform identifying himself as Alexander Lunin asked for an audience with Putin to “tell the whole truth” about the mistreatment of Russian troops.
In a second Instagram video published Thursday, Lunin reiterated his demands to be received by the president.
“If I don’t arrive at the Kremlin in the near future and speak live on the air right next to you, the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin,” Lunin warned.
“I’m merely passing along the message,” he added, claiming that high-ranking Defense Ministry and security officials had allegedly asked him to film the statement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing on Friday that he had heard about the video but that neither Putin nor the presidential administration “had a chance” to watch it yet.
“Judging by your description, the phrasing sounds rather bizarre. We need to see it first,” Peskov said.
Independent Russian media outlets verified Lunin’s identity, reporting that he is a 39-year-old Ukraine war veteran from the Voronezh region in southern Russia. Lunin allegedly went by the surname Pustovalov until legally changing it in 2023, after which he was reportedly removed from Russia’s official list of “extremists.”
