A 27-year-old Russian rapper who had condemned his country's invasion of Ukraine on social media, jumped from a high-rise building to his death after being drafted to fight in the war.
Walkie's real name is Ivan Vitalievich Petunin.
After Russia made it mandatory for all men of military age to fight in the war against Ukraine, Walkie expressed his disdain in a video he published on his Telegram channel, saying he “didn't want to kill for any ideals”.
Walkie, who had previously served in the Russian Army and had been treated in a mental hospital, told fans, "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."
Advertisement
Walkie went on ... "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."
He had tried to get a deferment, this time around as well, because of mental illness, but the request was denied the Russian military.
To avoid being conscripted to fight in the war, Walkie ended his life. His body was found on the connecting Congressnaya Street in Krasnodor city.
