Russia's Basmanny District Court has issued an arrest warrant for Conor Kennedy, 32, alleging he served as a 'mercenary' in Ukraine and reporting he has been placed on an international wanted list. The charge—carrying a potential seven- to ten-year sentence—was filed in absentia and is unlikely to be enforced unless Kennedy enters a jurisdiction that cooperates with Russia. Kennedy publicly said in October 2022 that he volunteered with Ukraine's International Legion in the Kharkiv region and described fellow volunteers as 'true freedom fighters.' Observers say the timing appears largely symbolic and politically charged.
Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Conor Kennedy — Accused of Serving as a 'Mercenary' in Ukraine
Sergei Karpukhin / REUTERS
Moscow's Basmanny District Court has issued an arrest warrant for Conor Kennedy, 32, the son of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after Russian state news agency TASS reported he was accused of acting as a 'mercenary' in Ukraine and placed on an international wanted list.
The accusation mirrors a long-standing Kremlin practice of labeling foreign volunteers who fight for Ukraine as 'mercenaries.' Russian authorities say the charge carries a potential prison term of seven to ten years if prosecuted on Russian territory. The case, however, was filed in absentia and is therefore unlikely to result in immediate detention unless Kennedy travels to a jurisdiction that cooperates with Russian authorities.
Conor announced he was engaged to Brazilian singer Giulia Be in 2024. / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic
Observers noted the timing is unusual: the warrant comes nearly four years after Kennedy publicly acknowledged volunteering with Ukraine's International Legion. In an Instagram post from October 2022, Kennedy said he had been 'deeply moved' by what he witnessed and felt 'willing to die there.'
'I told one person here where I was, and I told one person there my real name. I didn't want my family or friends to worry, and I didn't want to be treated differently there,' Kennedy wrote. 'The people I met were the bravest I have ever known. My fellow legionnaires — who came from different countries, backgrounds, ideologies — are true freedom fighters.'
Kennedy said he served briefly in the Kharkiv region but did not provide exact dates for when he joined or left the International Legion. He is the third-oldest child of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his first child with Kennedy's wife, Mary Richardson. Kennedy has also attracted tabloid attention previously as a former boyfriend of singer Taylor Swift.
Conor Kennedy in 2012. / Stephen Lovekin / WireImage
His prior legal issues include a 2016 arrest outside a Colorado nightclub. According to People, Kennedy pleaded guilty to charges related to an altercation and was given a six-month sentence, fined $500, ordered to write an apology to the victim and to abstain from drugs and alcohol during the sentence. At the time, his father said he was proud his son 'stands up to bullies' even as he worried about his involvement with police.
Analysts and commentators suggest the warrant may be as much symbolic and political as it is legal, given the in absentia filing and the time elapsed since Kennedy's service in Ukraine. For now, the action appears unlikely to affect Kennedy directly unless diplomatic dynamics change or he travels to a country that enforces the order.
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