Putin puts RFK Jr's son Conor on most wanted list for fighting in Ukraine war
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Putin puts RFK Jr's son Conor on most wanted list for fighting in Ukraine war")
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photograph: (AFP)
Conor Kennedy, the son of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has reportedly been placed on Russia's wanted list after a Moscow court authorised his arrest in absentia over allegations that he fought alongside Ukrainian forces.
A new legal case in Russia has put Conor Kennedy, a member of one of America's most prominent political families, in the spotlight. The 32-year-old son of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly been placed on Russia's international wanted list over his alleged involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia's state news agency TASS reported that a Moscow court has authorised Kennedy's arrest in absentia. Russian authorities accuse him of serving as a mercenary with Ukrainian forces.
Kennedy disclosed in an Instagram post in October 2022 that he had joined Ukraine's International Legion of Foreign Volunteers earlier that year. He said he wanted to help Ukrainians and was willing to risk his life for the cause.
Kennedy had no previous military experience and said his time in Ukraine was brief. Russian authorities allege that he fought alongside Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region while using an assumed identity. The claim has not been independently confirmed.
According to TASS, Kennedy could face a prison sentence of seven to 10 years if convicted. However, he remains outside Russia, making any immediate trial unlikely.
The Russian court has issued similar rulings involving other foreign volunteers from countries including the United States, Britain, Sweden, Colombia and Georgia.
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The case also carries a political dimension because Kennedy's father, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serves in US President Donald Trump's Cabinet as Secretary of Health. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have maintained dialogue since Trump's return to the White House last year as efforts continue to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Conor Kennedy has also previously been linked romantically to singer Taylor Swift and married Brazilian singer-songwriter Giulia Be this year. He is the grand nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy.
The case also recalls the tense relationship between John F. Kennedy and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Their ties moved from the threat of near nuclear conflict during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 to a fragile peace that contributed to the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
