Walkie, Russian Rapper Who Opposed War in Ukraine, Dies of Suicide at 27 After Being Drafted
After being drafted to fight in the Ukraine war, Russian rapper Walkie jumped off a building to his death rather than “kill my own,” multiple media outlets reported on Monday.
Before his death, the 27-year-old posted a Telegram in which he said, according to TikTok’s translation, “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.”
He also said, “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.”
Also Read:
Meta Shuts Down Chinese, Russian Bot Networks Targeting Midterms, War Views
You can watch the video at the top of this post.
According to NME, his real name was Ivan Vitalievich Petunin. The Daily Mail reported that his body was found in the Russian city of Krasnodar on Friday (September 30).
Petunin had already served in the Russian Army, but his request for a deferment because of mental illness was not granted.
Walkie had released 10 albums since his 2015 debut, his most recent was “Walk Out Boy 3.” As of Monday, his most popular song on Spotify has nearly 2 million streams.
Since President Vladimir Putin announced the draft on Sept. 21, more than 200,000 Russians have fled the country, according to The New York Times.
Those still trying to leave Russia are now facing border restrictions from neighboring countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which have closed their doors to most Russian citizens. Last week, Finland also moved to “significantly restrict” Russian travel to and through the country.
The Times also reported that men at the Georgia border were being served “call-up papers” as they stood in line.
