The story of the “mutiny” threatened by Alexander Lunin has a sequel. In a way, it is even a happy one — although apparently only for one of the characters.

Lunin had previously claimed that he was in contact with servicemen and said he intended to meet Vladimir Putin to tell him about the problems faced by soldiers and abuses by commanders. In his public statements, he went even further: if the president refused to listen to him, the troops were allegedly prepared to “turn toward the Kremlin.”

Now those promises have been brought back to Lunin’s attention by war participant and disabled combat veteran Andrei Nikulin, born on 29 April 1988.

According to Nikulin, he remains in contact with servicemen who tell him that nothing has changed: abuses continue, and soldiers are still being placed in so-called “pits”.

Addressing Alexander Lunin, Nikulin reminded him of his own promises:

“I’m still in touch with the guys, and they say this is still going on. Sasha, you promised, you swore up and down, you sent videos saying something like: Vladimir Vladimirovich, if you don’t receive me, the troops will turn in your direction <…> F***, brother, can you imagine, the guys are still in the pits.”

Nikulin says openly that he respected Lunin precisely because Lunin had publicly promised to stand up for servicemen and secure the release of those whom commanders had sent to the “pits.”

Then he delivers perhaps the most concise summary of how the whole story ended:

“I respected you as a man when you were shouting that, yes, f***, I’m for our guys there, f***, for Russia, for the guys, to get them out of those pits. F***, brother, you’re driving a Hummer while the guys are still in the pits.”

And indeed, the picture is almost complete.

Before: stories about servicemen supposedly ready to turn their weapons against the Kremlin. Promises to get through to Putin. Loud words about soldiers, commanders and the “pits.”

Now, according to Nikulin, the soldiers are still in the pits, while Lunin is driving a Hummer.

At the same time, according to information circulated by his supporters, Lunin was released after his detention. And here we really do have two pieces of good news.

First: Alexander Lunin is alive and free. If the information about the car is correct, his material circumstances also appear to be doing rather well. We are glad that he avoided the fate of many people who truly came into conflict with the Russian system and paid for it with their freedom — and sometimes with their lives.

The second piece of good news is that it is now much easier to assess the value of those earlier threatening declarations.

Because the servicemen on whose behalf Lunin was supposedly going to Putin have not disappeared. According to Nikulin, soldiers are still being punished, still being sent to the “pits,” and abuses by commanders continue.

Something else disappeared — the promised mutiny itself.

And if Lunin’s statements really were backed by organized servicemen prepared to turn their weapons toward the Kremlin, one question remains: how did a story involving threats of an armed revolt end so quickly, quietly and comfortably for the man who had publicly spoken about it?

Perhaps Lunin preserved his freedom at the cost of his former convictions.

Or perhaps there were never any forces behind those loud declarations capable of “turning the troops” in the first place.

The mutiny was cancelled. The “pits” remain. The abuses remain. Servicemen are still being “zeroed out.” But now there is a Hummer.

Source: Telegram channel “Don’t Expect Good News”: https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/7479