Nikolay Choles, the son of Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, confirmed during an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda that he fought in Ukraine as part of Wagner Group
“When I made the decision to join the ‘SVO’ [special military operation], I didn’t know the best way to do it. Especially because, when it all started, there wasn’t as much information as there is now. So yes, I had to ask my father. I asked him how I could connect with the private military company. And he helped me with that,” said Choles. He didn’t explain why he decided to sign a contract with Wagner Group rather than the Defense Ministry.
Peskov’s son said he went to war because he considered it his duty to do so. He said that his loved ones supported the decision: “They asked whether I was sure I understood where I was going. I answered yes. And they said go for it.”
Choles also commented on a telephone conversation he had with Dmitry Nizovstev, an Alexey Navalny associate. Nizovtsev, pretending to be a military enlistment officer, reached Peskov’s son in fall 2022 and asked whether he would go fight in Ukraine. At that point, Choles refused.
During the interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Peskov explained that he was already preparing to serve when Navalny’s associate reached him. He said he “was nervous” because of the upcoming trip, so he answered negatively.
Choles added that he served with Wagner Group under a different name. He declined to tell Komsomolskaya Pravda the name he used, in case he needs it again. He also said that he was awarded a medal for courage for “a certain combat feat” in Ukraine.
“My whole crew performed the feat. We had one interesting excursion. I can’t say more,” Choles said.
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