Conor Kennedy added to Russia's wanted list for fighting with Ukraine's International Legion

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Conor Kennedy, the 32-year-old son of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., labeling him a mercenary for Ukraine and threatening seven to ten years in prison if detained. Kennedy revealed on Instagram that he covertly went to Kyiv in October 2022 to enlist in the International Legion, motivated by the conflict’s images and a desire to act on his convictions.

He concealed the trip from his father and stepmother, Cheryl Hines, citing a desire to avoid worry, and later returned to the United States, where he resumed studies at Georgetown University and joined the Los Angeles office of Wisner Baum as an associate attorney. The Russian state news agency one outlet reported the court’s decision, noting that other foreign volunteers, including U.S. citizen Ingram Asbill Tracy James and British citizen Shorney Joseph Richard Ryan, have also been placed on the Kremlin’s wanted list.

Kennedy has not responded to requests for comment. The episode highlights the personal risks faced by foreign volunteers in the Ukraine war and the Kremlin’s use of legal mechanisms to target them.