Russian Commander Threatens Mutiny Against Putin: Soldiers Will Turn Guns on Kremlin
A threat of rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged from within the Russian military. Former Russian volunteer battalion commander Alexander Lunin issued an ultimatum to the Kremlin, warning that soldiers could turn their weapons on the Kremlin if Putin refuses to hear the ‘truth’ about the conditions of the war in Ukraine.
The warning was delivered by Lunin in a video uploaded to Instagram which quickly went viral. In the video, Lunin claimed to be conveying a message from a number of military officials and members of the Russian security services whose identities were not disclosed. According to him, they are demanding that Putin agree to a direct meeting broadcast to the public so that the Russian people can learn the true conditions on the battlefield.
‘If in the near future I do not come to the Kremlin and speak next to you, the army will turn its weapons on the Kremlin,’ Lunin said.
Lunin claimed that military officials are weary of the ongoing war and believe many soldiers are being forced into missions that result in death. ‘They are tortured and face death,’ he said. He warned that dissatisfaction within the military could escalate into a mutiny if their demands continue to be ignored.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which has lasted more than four years, has become one of the longest and most resource-draining conflicts for Moscow since the end of the Cold War. The Kremlin’s hope for a quick victory at the start of the invasion has turned into a protracted war that forces thousands of soldiers into repeated deployments on the front lines.
Extended troop rotations are cited as a factor affecting the psychological condition of soldiers. Some personnel must serve for months in high-intensity combat zones, while the need to continuously hold the front line means the process of replacing troops does not always run as planned. This situation has increased physical and mental exhaustion among military personnel.
Furthermore, the prolonged war has resulted in a massive number of casualties and injuries on both sides. Although Russia does not routinely release official data on its casualties, various Western monitoring bodies and intelligence agencies estimate the conflict has caused significant personnel losses. Moscow does not acknowledge most of these estimates.
Amid this situation, complaints have also surfaced regarding combat equipment, logistics, and command patterns on the battlefield. Several reports from Russian military bloggers and independent media have repeatedly revealed criticism of the decision-making process, including allegations that some soldiers are forced to carry out operations deemed to have very high risk. However, these claims are difficult to verify independently due to strict information restrictions during the war.