RFK Jr.'s son (Taylor Swift's ex) Fought Russians in Ukraine. Who knew?

People magazine, October 2022:

RFK Jr.'s Frustration Turned to Pride After Son Conor Explained Why He Secretly Fought in Ukraine

"He said to me, when he heard maybe a little bit of anger and concern, 'Dad, this is what you taught me to do: to stand up for what I believe in,'" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells PEOPLE

By 

Virginia Chamlee

 

 

Published on October 26, 2022 05:33PM EDT

PHOTO: COURTESY ROBERT KENNEDY JR.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is opening up about his son Conor Kennedy's surprise decision to fight in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

Conor, the 28-year-old grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, recently shared in a lengthy Instagram post that he traveled to Ukraine to help defend the nation, saying he was "deeply moved" by the situation and was "willing to die there" if it came to it.

Conor traveled to Ukraine without alerting his family, telling Robert and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, only that he was not going to be taking a summer job with a Los Angeles law firm as planned.

"We asked him when he was starting [the job at the law firm]," Robert tells PEOPLE. "He had a good job and we were looking forward to having him stay with us. And he told us that he had given notice to the law firm and he was doing something else instead."

According to Robert, Conor told the couple, "Listen, I know this is going to be difficult for you but I don't want you to ask me what I'm doing. I'm doing something that I want to do and [something that] I believe in and and I don't want you to ask about it."

So the couple did as asked, though their suspicions began to mount when they saw a credit card bill linked to Conor's account that showed a charge made in Poland.

A few days later, they saw another charge — this time in Ukraine.

 Robert F. Kennedy's Grandson Conor Says He Fought in Ukraine: 'Willing to Die There'

Meanwhile, at the Polish border, Conor was trying to cross in to Ukraine. As Robert explains, Conor met another American, who told the younger Kennedy that he would likely be able to enter and fight due to his height and build (his father describes Conor as "6-foot-5 and pure muscle").

Though he had no military training previously, Conor was quickly assigned to a special forces unit that Robert says included soldiers from Ukraine, NATO countries, and a couple of Americans. While no U.S. soldiers are officially stationed in the country, some — like Conor — have taken matters into their own hands, though the United States advises against traveling to Ukraine right now as a handful of foreign nationals have been trapped, captured or killed.

Without any experience, Conor was first trained to operate drones. "That job was pretty dangerous," Robert says. "The Russians have technology that allows them to spot you when you turn on the drones, so they can electronically see the pilot and then target the pilot with artillery, which kills anything within 100 yards." ...

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