Published on 6/26/2026
The Kremlin said on Friday that it would investigate a widely circulated video in which a former soldier addresses Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing Russian military commanders in Ukraine of torturing and killing soldiers for not carrying out “suicide orders.”
The clip posted by former soldier Alexander Lunin on Instagram, which did not mention any evidence or names of any victims or alleged perpetrators, received more than 12 million views within 24 hours, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin had not yet seen this appeal, but noted that the clip appeared to contain “strange wording.”
Peskov avoided commenting on the clip, saying that the Kremlin had been “already notified” of the existence of such an appeal, but they had not seen it yet, “so I don’t want to comment on it,” adding, “It seems to contain some rather strange phrases, so we have to see it first,” in response to a question from journalists during a conference call.
Lunin said in the clip that thousands of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are being held in holes because they refused to carry out “stupid or suicidal orders” or because they refused to hand over money to their commanders. He stated that these soldiers are subjected to torture before being killed and that their commanders then cover up what happened by saying that they are missing on the battlefield.
Before publishing the video clip, Lunin, who lives in the Russian region of Voronezh, was not known to most Russians. It was not clear whether the soldier was speaking on a personal initiative or whether he represented broader forces, as he indicated.
Lunin recorded the video clip while wearing combat fatigues and carrying a number of medals. He said that if he could not hold a personal interview with Putin live on television, the army would turn its weapons on the Kremlin.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been launching an attack on Ukraine and stipulates in order to end it that its neighbor abandons joining Western military entities, which Kiev considers “interference” in its affairs.
