Nikolai Peskov: Putin spokesman's son 'joined Wagner in Ukraine'

The 33-year-old lad of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says helium served with the Wagner mercenary radical successful Ukraine for astir six months.

Nikolai Peskov said "it was my duty... I couldn't beryllium to 1 broadside watching arsenic friends and others went disconnected there."

Wagner is called a "private subject company" successful Russia and present has planetary notoriety for alleged warfare crimes and different abuses successful Ukraine.

It has recruited thousands of convicts from prisons aft taking dense losses.

It is uncommon for a subordinate of the Russian elite to take to articulation Wagner - galore person gone overseas to debar conscription into the regular army.

Nikolai Peskov is besides known arsenic Nikolai Choles, and speaks fluent English, having spent respective years arsenic a younker successful London. He has worked arsenic a analogous for Russian authorities broadcaster RT.

Both helium and his begetter are nether US sanctions.

In an interrogation with the pro-Kremlin regular Komsomolskaya Pravda, helium said it was his ain determination to articulation Wagner, but helium did not cognize however to bash it, "so I had to crook to my dad... and helium helped maine with that".

He said helium utilized a mendacious ID truthful that his Wagner comrades would not larn of his Kremlin connections. He did not uncover that assumed sanction successful the interrogation because, helium said, helium mightiness request to usage it again.

The BBC was incapable to verify his assertion astir serving with Wagner, whose troops person been engaged successful aggravated warring for months successful Bakhmut. Ukraine says its Bakhmut defenders person killed thousands of Russian troops.

Nikolai Peskov's assertion coincides with a large caller service recruitment drive, with Russian authorities ads urging men to bash their "patriotic duty" successful the Ukraine conflict.

Tens of thousands of men fled Russia past September to debar being conscripted, aft President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilisation".

Nikolai Peskov did not uncover wherever precisely helium had served successful what Russia calls its "special subject operation" successful Ukraine.

In comments to the Russian media, Wagner main Yevgeny Prigozhin did nevertheless springiness much details.

After joining the radical with fake documents, helium said, Mr Peskov's lad underwent a three-week grooming course.

"After that, erstwhile helium near for Luhansk, it was indispensable to grow the combined artillery battalion, and helium was sent to articulation an Uragan [multiple rocket launcher] crew," Mr Prigozhin said, adding that helium "showed courageousness and heroism, conscionable similar each the others".

According to Mr Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov had asked him to "take [Nikolai] connected arsenic a elemental artilleryman".

Nikolai Peskov said helium received a medal for bravery this twelvemonth aft "all of my squad accomplished a feat... We had 1 absorbing sortie - I can't accidental much than that."

Last September helium was targeted by a prank unrecorded connected YouTube, successful which helium appeared reluctant to articulation the army.

Journalist Dmitry Nizovtsev, an subordinate of jailed Russian absorption person Alexei Navalny, posed arsenic a subject recruitment serviceman successful a telephone telephone to Nikolai Peskov. Speaking successful an assertive tone, Nizovtsev asked him wherefore helium had not shown up astatine a Moscow call-up centre.

Nikolai replied nervously, reminding Nizovtsev that "I americium Mr Peskov".

"I'm going to instrumentality this substance to different level," helium said. "I fundamentally request to cognize what's going connected and what my rights are."

Mr Prigozhin and immoderate Russian subject bloggers person been precise captious of Russian generals successful Ukraine, accusing them of blunders and under-equipping Wagner. Mr Prigozhin besides accused subject officials of not recognising his group's sacrifices.

But past period President Putin outlawed nationalist disapproval of Wagner oregon the regular equipped forces. The penalties for "discrediting" immoderate portion of the Russian subject see situation presumption of up to 7 years.