Russian rapper resorts to suicide to avoid army

Ivan Vitalievich Petunin, a 27-year-old Russian rapper died by suicide to avoid being drafted to fight in the war against Ukraine. He said that he is not ready to kill for any ideals.

The artist was popularly known under his stage name Walkie. Before dying, he filmed a suicide message and posted it on his Telegram channel.

"If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive. I can't take the sin of murder on my soul and I don't want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals. To murder someone in war or otherwise is something I cannot do. It seems to me that partial mobilisation will become full in a few days. Forgive me, my loved ones, but sometimes you have to die for your principles. My last decision is exactly how I die," said the musician.

He appeared emotional and was breathing deeply. He also called Russian President Putin a "maniac".

He was found dead on Friday after jumping from a high-rise building in Krasnodar. He is believed to have jumped from the 10th floor. His girlfriend and mother confirmed the death.

He had reportedly served in the army once and sought treatment in a mental hospital. In a letter to his girlfriend, he wrote that it was Russia's sham 'referendums' that led to the annexation of four regions of Ukraine last week, "everyone will go to the front lines." He added that people with psychosocial ailments even worse than mine are already being sent there without any hesitation.

Putin on September 21 called for 300,000 reservists to serve in the army. Nearly 200,000 Russians had fled to neighbouring Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Finland since then. If they are captured, the government will sentence them to prison for 10 years. There are also reports of men breaking their own arms to avoid being drafted into the army.