October 04, 2022
Krasnodar, Russia – A Russian rapper named Walkie has reportedly taken his own life in order to avoid being drafted to fight in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
According The Daily Mail, Walkie (real name Ivan Vitalievich Petunin) informed his fans in a Telegram video that he couldn’t “take the sin of murder on my soul” and said his final act of protest would be through death.
“If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive,” the rapper said in the video, which has since been shared on Twitter. “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.”
He continued: “I choose to remain in history forever. As a man who did not support what was happening. I am not ready to take up arms and kill my own kind.”
His body was found in the Russian city of Krasnodar on Friday (September 30).
Walkie was gaining buzz as a rapper in Russia having released 10 albums since debuting in 2015, with his most recent being 2022’s Walk Out Boy 3. His most popular song had nearly a million plays on Spotify.
The Russian rapper Ivan Petunin has committed suicide.
He recorded a message to his fans about mobilization.
He said he refuses to murder another man.
He said Putin has taken all Russian men captive, leaving them with 3 choices: becoming a murderer, going to prison or suicide. pic.twitter.com/4TCiXC2DDc
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 1, 2022