Son of Putin's spokesperson says he'll dodge Russian draft during prank call
Moscow, Russia - A prank call to the son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that he intends to dodge the partial mobilization for the war in Ukraine.
A member of the team backing jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny pretended to be a member of Moscow's defense commando implementing the measure announced by President Vladimir Putin Wednesday.
Nikolai Peskov (32) said he would not be reporting for duty and would resolve the issue "at a different level" in the call which has been made public.
"If you know that I am Mr. Peskov, you should understand, that it is not completely right for me to be there. In brief, I will arrange this at a different level," he told the caller.
Asked whether he would report for duty at 10.00 AM the next day, he said, "Believe me, neither you nor I need that."
Navalny's team denied a claim made by the Kremlin spokesman and father to the effect that the phone call had been edited, pointing out that it was made during a live broadcast.
Russian media reported that Peskov had made clear that his son would not evade military service.
During the call, Peskov junior said that he was in principle prepared to defend Russia, but that he didn't want to be sent to Ukraine.
"If Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] tells me that I have to go there, then I will go there," he said.
Navalny has accused Putin of throwing ordinary Russians into the mincer of war, while the elite was avoiding harm.
Cover photo: via REUTERS