The scion of the Kennedy political dynasty published an Instagram post about his time in Kiev’s International Legion
Kennedy in 2019 © AFP / John Parra
Conor Kennedy has returned from a secret trip abroad to join the Ukrainian International Legion, the scion of the Kennedy political dynasty revealed in an Instagram post. The 28-year-old son of lawyer and medical freedom activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed he had been “deeply moved” to join upon seeing news from the front, adding that he enlisted anonymously and only told one person the details of his journey.
“I didn’t want my family or friends to worry, and I didn’t want to be treated differently there,” Kennedy explained, acknowledging that he had “no prior military experience and wasn’t a great shot.” Implying he had impressed his superiors with his ability to “carry heavy things” and quick learning, as well as his being “willing to die there,” he said he had been sent to the northeastern front.
The grandson of assassinated US attorney general and senator Bobby Kennedy did not serve in the foreign legion for long, according to his post, though said he “liked being a soldier, more than [he] had expected.”
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He did not share when he had traveled to Ukraine or when he had returned, merely stating that his “friends” – legionnaires of “different countries, backgrounds, ideologies” – would know why he had returned to the US.
Describing the conflict as a “revolution,” Kennedy predicted the “war will shape the fate of democracy in this century,” hinting “there’s more to say about its politics and the role of western governments there.”
Before enlisting in the Ukrainian International Legion, Kennedy was primarily known for dating singer Taylor Swift, who allegedly wrote a song about him. A law school student, he has volunteered with his father on environmental projects, even getting arrested with him during a protest outside the White House.
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While the Ukrainian International Legion initially opened its doors to all comers, it changed its admission criteria in April, specifying that only those with former military experience would be welcome. Those with no combat experience, its spokesman said at the time, were “more of a burden than being any help.”
