Conor Kennedy, the son of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been placed on Russia’s wanted list after being accused of participating as a mercenary in the war in Ukraine.
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The Basmanny District Court in Moscow ordered his arrest in absentia. The decision was made public on August 12 by the Russian state-run news agency TASS, which reported that Kennedy faces a charge of “mercenarism” under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The offense carries a prison sentence of seven to 10 years.
Conor Kennedy’s lawyer appealed the decision, but the court upheld it.
The great-grandnephew of President John F. Kennedy joined Ukraine’s International Legion in 2022, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to reports, his service lasted for a short period, and he left in October of the same year.
In an Instagram post published in October 2022, Kennedy said that the events he had witnessed in Ukraine that year had affected him deeply. He said he had no military experience before enlisting and that he had shared his decision with only a very limited number of people: he told one person in the United States where he was, while he gave his real name to one person on the ground.
According to him, the aim was to avoid worrying family members and friends, as well as to ensure that he would not be “treated differently there.”
The International Legion was established in early 2022, bringing together foreign volunteers who served as regular soldiers under the same conditions as Ukrainian troops. Russia has repeatedly challenged this legal status and described foreign fighters as mercenaries.
The legion was disbanded in February 2026, while the foreign fighters were transferred to regular units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in on February 13 as the 26th secretary of Health in President Donald Trump’s administration.
