A clip featuring Russian troops interrogating Oscar Jenkins, who fought for Ukraine, surfaced in December
Russia authorities have notified Australia that its citizen Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told national media. The 32-year-old went missing late last year while fighting for Ukraine.
In December, a video was published by a Russian military blogger showing the interrogation of a man identifying himself as Jenkins.
Speaking to ABC News on Wednesday, Albanese confirmed the receipt of the “statement that has been made by Russian authorities” through Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and that Canberra is now “seeking confirmation.”
According to the media outlet, Russian ambassador Aleksey Pavlovsky informed the Australian government that Jenkins was being held on Russian territory and was in a “normal” condition.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra had “made clear to… Moscow that Mr. Jenkins is a prisoner of war and Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
Earlier this month, ABC quoted several other foreign nationals fighting for Ukraine as suggesting that Jenkins might have been executed soon after capture. Jenkins’ American comrade claimed the Australian national’s corpse had been identified thanks to the “vegan” tattoo on his hand. Another Australian told reporters that Jenkins’ body, along with several others, had been “found in the same area where the video was taken.”
Commenting on the report, Foreign Minister Wong expressed “grave concerns,” saying that the “Russian Ambassador has been called in” to clarify the Australian national’s fate.
Around the same time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that he was “unaware whether this issue has been brought up in any way in an official manner by the Australians.” The official added that “possibly, some actions have already taken place through diplomatic channels.”
Peskov emphasized that foreign fighters “taking part in hostilities on the side of the Kiev regime” were “legitimate targets” for the Russian military.
Multiple fighters from a number of Western countries, including the UK and the US, have been confirmed dead in Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022.
Moscow deems foreign nationals enlisting in the Ukrainian military to be mercenaries, ineligible for the protections granted by the Geneva Convention to prisoners of war. Russia has also accused Kiev’s backers of facilitating the hiring of mercenaries among their military veterans, citing this as proof that the West is waging a proxy-war on the country.
Last September, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that it had concluded investigations into 785 foreign mercenaries.
