Putin puts RFK Jr’s son Conor on most wanted list for fighting in Ukraine war
Conor Kennedy said he was ‘willing to die’ in Ukraine after signing up to fight in 2022. Four years later he has been accused of acting as a mercenary by a Russian court
Robert F Kennedy Jr’s son Conor has been placed on Russia’s international wanted list for fighting in the Ukraine war, according to Russia’s state media.
The U.S. health secretary’s third child revealed he joined an international group of volunteers to fight against Vladimir Putin’s soldiers in 2022, the year the still-ongoing conflict began. At the time, Kennedy said he wanted to help the Ukrainians following Putin’s illegal invasion and was “willing to die” for the cause.
Four years later, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS, a Moscow court has authorised the 32 year-old Kennedy’s arrest in absentia while accusing him of acting as a mercenary for the Ukrainian army.
Kennedy, the grand-nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and who once dated pop star Taylor Swift, would face between seven and ten years in prison in the unlikely event he was in court for any conviction.
The decision to arrest Kennedy, albeit in absence, could nevertheless further strain the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, given that his father is a key part of the latter’s cabinet. He is among several foreign volunteers hailing from countries including the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Colombia, and Georgia to have been handed a similar ruling.