Kremlin spokesman's son talks about 6 months of fighting in Ukraine

Con trai người phát ngôn điện Kremlin kể về 6 tháng tham chiến tại Ukraine - 1 — Nikolay Peskov controlled the Uragan artillery during the war in Ukraine (Illustration: Military Today).

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper on April 22, Nikolay Peskov, 33 years old, the eldest son of Dmitry Peskov, revealed his 6-month contract with the Wagner organization to fight in Ukraine.

Nikolay said he had completed his mission in Ukraine. On the battlefield, he operated a 220mm BM-27 Uragan self-propelled multiple rocket launcher. Nikolay said signing the contract with Wagner was "entirely my own decision" and that he had the support of his entire family. His father, Dmitry Peskov, a longtime close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his son's participation in the war in Ukraine was "the right thing" to do.

"I see it as my duty. I just have to get involved, I have to help all the people there. I can't just sit back and watch my friends and others go to Ukraine," he said.

Nikolay registered as a Wagner member under a false name so that his comrades would not know his family background. Nikolay refused to reveal his alias, stressing that he might need it in the future, seemingly implying that he might re-enlist.

He said that while fighting in Ukraine, his group had to carry out many frontline missions, but refused to provide details about Wagner's operations.

Nikolay's involvement in Wagner was first revealed by the leader of the private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. On April 21, Prigozhin said that one of Dmitry Peskov's children had served in the group as an artilleryman.

When Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine last year, Nikolay was one of the individuals sanctioned by the US. He was later followed by restrictions imposed on him by several other US allies.

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