The son of a top Kremlin official revealed in a prank call that he had no intention of being called up for Vladimir Putin’s war mobilisation.
Nikolay Peskov, 32, son of the president’s spin-doctor and war spokesman Dmitry Peskov, believed he was talking to a military call-up officer.
He fell for the phone sting and made clear he would pull strings in the Kremlin so he did not have to obey the mobilisation order.
The call evidently showed that the entitled sons of the Russian political elite do not expect to be sent to the front, unlike hundreds of thousands of other Russians from ordinary backgrounds who will get no exemptions.
He received a fake call on livestream Popular Politics, a channel linked to the team of Putin foe Alexei Navalny.
Nikolay Peskov (RIGHT) with father Dmitry Peskov, press-secretary to Russian president Vladimir Putin. The son was caught out on a phone call where he believed he was talking to a military call-up officer
Presenter Dmitry Nizovtsev, 35, called up the official pretending to be a representative of the Russian military, ordering him to go to the recruitment office at 10am
The phone call was made by the channel’s presenter Dmitry Nizovstev, who told Peskov junior that he was Major Anton Matrynov, from a Moscow conscription office.
‘Hello. Let’s not hang up, like last time,’ said the pretend officer. ‘Why are you calling me…?’
‘Because Mr. Peskov… we’ve sent you a conscription today via electronic way as well,’ said the prankster. ‘But you didn’t reply yet.’
‘There is a contact number you should call and come tomorrow at 10am to the military office,’ they went on. ‘Why didn’t you call back and will you come to the military office tomorrow? We’re waiting for you at 10am.’
The son of the Putin senior official replied bluntly: ‘Naturally I will not be there at 10am. You must understand I am Mr Peskov. It’s not quite right for me to be there [at the conscription office].
‘To cut it short, I’ll be sorting this out at another level. I’ve got to understand what and how I should be doing.’
The ‘officer’ replied: ‘What an interesting threat, What is this [other] level?’
Peskov denied he was making a threat but said he had to take advice on whether he should be called up.
Nikolay Peskov, son of Dmitry Peskov, press-secretary to Russian president Vladimir Putin, is pictured during his time as sport correspondent for Russia Today
Peskov is pictured in the Red Square. He is a former conscript in Russia’s nuclear rocket forces and should be illegible to be called up, but implied he had no intention of following the call
He told the officer there were ‘political nuances’ about being called up without explaining his father was Putin’s press secretary and deputy head of the Kremlin administration.
He is a former conscript in Russia’s nuclear rocket forces and in theory would be a prime candidate for mobilisation.
Peskov said: ‘If I have to defend Motherland, it’s not a problem, but I have to understand the feasibility of my coming there. I’m talking about political nuances.’
A photograph shows a destroyed bridge near Kytsivka, Kharkiv region, on September 21
Russia will carry out a partial military mobilisation, Putin said, with veterans and reservists with combat or service experience called up (pictured: Russian marines in training)
The fake conscription official asked him, pretending not to know who his father is: ‘Can you talk about these political nuances? Maybe I don’t know.’
‘I can’t explain,’ said Peskov. ‘If I have to defend my motherland, don’t worry, I’ll be with you. But if I come tomorrow or not — it’s another question.’
But the son did say that if Putin ordered him to be called up he would obey.
Peskov junior is a former sports journalist with the RT ‘propaganda’ media network .
Dmitry Peskov demanded that what he called the full transcript should be published. He said he was confident his son would be vindicated.