The Albany Gazette - Russia jails veteran who threatened Putin with mutiny

The court -- which on Monday published limited information confirming the case -- did not give details about what the "extremist" symbols were or his sentence.

Alexander Lunin, 39, volunteered to fight in Ukraine following the start of Moscow's full-scale offensive in 2022.

He served at least part of his service on the front line, before returning to his home in the western Voronezh region, according to media reports.

Last week, he posted videos on Instagram calling for a meeting with Putin, alleging in one that many soldiers were being tortured and abused for refusing "mindless, suicidal orders".

"If I don't come to the Kremlin soon and speak live, right next to you, the army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin," he said.

The video, published on Thursday, racked up millions of views.

Russia has introduced sweeping wartime censorship since launching its Ukraine offensive in 2022, silencing criticism of the government and military leadership.

Direct public criticism of Putin is virtually unheard of.

The Kremlin said Friday it had not yet seen the video but that it appeared to have "strange wording".

A district court in the Voronezh region found Lunin guilty of an administrative offence of displaying "extremist" symbols, the court said on its website -- a ruling that typically carries a days-long jail stint.

The ruling was issued on Saturday, but published on Monday. The court said he had been sentenced but did not specify the punishment.

A post on his Telegram account said he had been jailed for 11 days.

(J.Torres--TAG)