Nikolai Peskov, the son of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, has revealed he served with the Wagner mercenary group in Ukraine for nearly six months. Wagner has gained international notoriety for alleged war crimes and other abuses in Ukraine. It is rare for a member of the Russian elite to choose to join the group, many of whom have gone abroad to avoid conscription into the regular army. Peskov claims that his decision was personal, stating, “It was my duty. I couldn’t sit to one side watching as friends and others went off there.”
The BBC was unable to verify his claim about serving with Wagner, whose troops have been engaged in intense fighting for months in Bakhmut. Nikolai Peskov, who is also known as Nikolai Choles and speaks fluent English, has previously worked as a correspondent for Russian state broadcaster RT. Both he and his father are under US sanctions.
Peskov did not reveal where exactly he served in what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. According to Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Peskov underwent a three-week training course before being sent to join an Uragan multiple rocket launcher crew. Peskov claims he received a medal for bravery this year after “all of my team accomplished a feat…We had one interesting sortie – I can’t say more than that.”
Source: BBC
