The Rossosh District Court in Russia’s Voronezh region placed serviceman Aleksandr Lunin under administrative arrest on a charge of displaying extremist or Nazi symbols. The outlet Verstka drew attention to the case.
According to a message posted on a Telegram channel linked to Lunin, he was arrested for 11 days on June 27. At the time, the reason for the arrest was not specified. Information about the case appeared on the court’s website only two days later, on the morning of June 29.
Verstka reported that court officials refused to disclose further details, saying that
“such cases are not subject to disclosure”. The maximum penalty under Article 20.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses is 15 days of arrest.
Lunin is known for actively posting public appeals to Vladimir Putin on social media. In one video, he said he could resort to a military mutiny if he was not allowed to meet the Russian president live on air and tell him what he described as “the whole truth” about what is happening in the country.
Reports said that this appeal received more than 10 million views in its first 24 hours. Three days later, reports emerged that Lunin’s home had been searched, after which he was detained and placed under administrative arrest.
Commenting on the video appeal, the Kremlin said it had not yet reviewed it, but added that it contained “rather strange wording”.