LONDON: Nikolai Peskov, the 33-year-old son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that he worked with the Wagner mercenary group in Ukraine for almost six months.
Nikolai Peskov said that it was his duty as he couldn’t sit idle watching as friends and others went there (Ukraine) to fight, according to the BBC.
Wagner, a private military mercenary group in Russia, has been accused of alleged war crimes and other abuses in Ukraine.The group has recruited thousands of convicted prisoners to fight along with Russian forces.
According to the BBC, it was rare for a member of the Russian elite to join the Wagner group as several citizens have left the country to avoid conscription into the regular Russian army.
Nikolai Peskov, who is known by Nikolai Choles, speaks fluent English as he has spent several formative years in London. He has also worked as a correspondent for the Russian state broadcaster RT.
Both he and his father are currently under US sanctions.In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, a pro-Kremlin daily, Peskov said it was his own decision to join the Wagner group. He, however, said that he sought help from his father to join the group as he did not know how to do it.
Peskov said that he used a false ID so that his Wagner members did not know of his Kremlin connections. He did not divulge that fake ID because, he said, he might need to use it again.
Nikolai Peskov’s claim coincides with a bid new army recruitment drive with the Russian government urging men to do their “patriotic duty” in the Ukraine conflict.
Tens of thousands of left Russia last September to avoid being recruited in the army after President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization.”
Nikolai Peskov did not reveal where exactly he had served during the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
