Russian rapper Walkie suspected to have taken his own life to avoid going to war

A rapper from Russia known as Walkie is believed to have taken his own life to avoid fighting for Russia's war against Ukraine, ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

27-year-old Walkie - whose real name was Ivan Vitalievich Petunin - was found dead on September 30 according to The Daily Mail at a tall building in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar.

Walkie had previously served in the Russian army but hated his experience, and attempted to avoid conscription on medical grounds by mentioning he had been previously treated at a psychiatric hospital.

In a Telegram video, Walkie said: “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 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.”

In his music career, Walkie had only recently released his 10th album ‘Walk Out Boy 3’ and his most popular song ‘Нейротоксин’ has reached almost 2 million streams on Spotify.

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