Conor Kennedy, Senator Bobby Kennedy’s grandson whose fling with Taylor Swift reportedly inspired songs on Red, says that he served in Ukraine’s International Legion and helped fight against Russia.
“Like many people, I was deeply moved by what I saw happening in Ukraine over the past year,” Kennedy said in a social medium statement last week. “I wanted to help. When I heard about Ukraine’s International Legion, I knew I was going, and I went to the embassy to enlist the next day.”
He added that “I wasn’t a great shot, but I could carry heavy things and learned fast. I was also willing to die there. So they soon agreed to send me to the northeastern front,” an area that includes the hotly-contested Donbas region where much of the fighting has taken place.
“My time in Ukraine wasn’t long but I saw a lot and I felt a lot,” he wrote. “I liked being a soldier, more than I had expected. It is scary. But life is simple, and the rewards for finding courage and doing good are substantial.”
He concluded with a call to action: “This war will shape the fate of democracy in this century. There’s more to say about its politics and the role of western governments there. For now, I’ll only urge you to help in your personal capacity. Join the legion, help on the border, or send medical supplies. Every day, someone there sacrifices everything for a lasting peace. They can’t be asked to act alone.”
The most popular reaction to his post came from his stepmother, Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Cheryl Hines, who wrote, “Conor. Oh Conor. ️️️️️️️️️.”
If you’re the cynical type, you may note that his post began with the words, “I know this story is coming out.” This was followed by a six-day pause before major news publications finally picked it up, suggesting a botched PR rollout. Less cynically, he’s likely to refocus some Western attention back on an important conflict. Besides that, a member of the idle rich class briefly made himself useful, which is rare enough. Check out his Instagram post below.
Kennedy’s father, Robert Kennedy Jr., has been engaged in an ongoing conflict of his own. Earlier this year, he spoke at an anti-vaccine demonstration in Washington DC where he suggested that vaccines are in some ways worse than the Holocaust.
Red (Taylor’s Version), an updated version of the pop classic which allegedly contains songs about Conor Kennedy and Jake Gyllenhaal, was released last year and is eligible for Grammy consideration.