Russia has placed Conor Kennedy, the 32-year-old son of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on an international wanted list, accusing him of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. According to international media reports, a Moscow court has authorized Kennedy’s arrest in absentia. Russian authorities accuse him of mercenarism and have described him as a “foreign mercenary.”
Kennedy joined the Ukrainian International Legion in 2022, participating in combat in the Kharkiv region during the first months of the full Russian occupation. He later revealed that he had served in Ukraine and had returned to the United States in October 2022, media reports said.
At the time, Kennedy had declared that he was willing to die for Ukraine and expressed support for its fight against Russian occupation. He also called for support for Ukraine and the involvement of foreign volunteers in the war. According to Russian authorities, if Kennedy is arrested and convicted, he could face seven to 10 years in prison.
The warrant was issued in absentia, as Kennedy is outside Russia. The case has received particular attention because of Kennedy’s family ties to the U.S. administration. His father, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Moscow’s decision comes four years after Kennedy took part in the fighting in Ukraine and made public his involvement in the International Legion. /Telegraph