The son of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly been placed on Russia’s international wanted list over allegations that he fought alongside Ukrainian forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Conor Kennedy, 32, has been ordered arrested in absentia by a Moscow court after Russian authorities accused him of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Kennedy, who is also the grand-nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, publicly revealed in 2022 that he had traveled to Ukraine and joined the country’s International Legion despite having no previous military experience.
The Russian court’s latest action comes four years after Kennedy disclosed his involvement in the conflict.
If convicted under Russian law, Kennedy could reportedly face between seven and 10 years in prison. His presence before a Russian court, however, appears unlikely.
Russian authorities claim Kennedy secretly fought alongside Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region, although The Independent noted that particular assertion has not been independently confirmed.
Kennedy himself has acknowledged serving in Ukraine but previously said he spent only a limited amount of time there.
“I was deeply moved by what I saw happening in Ukraine over the past year. I wanted to help,” Kennedy wrote in an Instagram post announcing his service in October 2022.
“When I heard about Ukraine’s International Legion, I knew I was going, and I went to the embassy to enlist the next day.”
Kennedy said he concealed his identity and whereabouts from almost everyone he knew while serving.
“I told one person here [in the US] where I was, and I told one person there my real name,” he wrote. “I didn’t want my family or friends to worry, and I didn’t want to be treated differently there.”
Kennedy described the experience as dangerous but said at the time that he did not regret joining the fight.
“I liked being a soldier, more than I had expected,” he wrote. “It is scary. But life is simple, and the rewards for finding courage and doing good are substantial.”
He also acknowledged the possibility that he could have been killed.
“I know I’m lucky I made it back, but I would also take all the risks we took over again,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy argued that the outcome of the conflict could have consequences extending far beyond Ukraine, saying the war would “shape the fate of democracy in this century.”
He encouraged others who supported Ukraine to contribute by joining the International Legion, assisting at the border or providing medical supplies, according to The Independent.
Kennedy’s decision to fight attracted significant attention partly because of his membership in one of America’s most prominent political families.
His father, RFK Jr., now serves as Trump’s health secretary, potentially adding another diplomatic wrinkle to already strained relations between Washington and Moscow.
Conor Kennedy has also attracted attention for his personal life. He briefly dated pop superstar Taylor Swift in 2012 and married Brazilian singer-songwriter Giulia Be earlier this year.
Giulia publicly praised Kennedy after he disclosed his service in Ukraine.
“You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known, my love,” she wrote at the time.
She said being separated from Kennedy and worrying about him during his deployment had been difficult but added that she was proud of him.
Kennedy is not the only foreign volunteer being targeted by Russian authorities.
According to TASS, courts have issued similar rulings involving foreign nationals accused of fighting for Ukraine, including individuals from the US, United Kingdom, Sweden, Colombia and Georgia.
Russia considers foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine to be mercenaries in certain circumstances, while Ukraine established its International Legion following Russia’s February 2022 invasion to allow foreign nationals to join its armed forces.
The Russian allegations against Kennedy should therefore be distinguished from an independent finding that he illegally served as a mercenary.
Kennedy returned safely to the US after his relatively brief period in Ukraine.
Four years later, however, that decision has produced new legal consequences in Russia, with Moscow now reportedly seeking his arrest over his involvement in the war.
