Australian citizen fighting for Ukraine allegedly captured by Russia
The Australian government is investigating reports that Russian forces captured an Australian citizen fighting for Ukraine, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Dec. 23.
The man, who identifies himself as 32-year-old Australian Oscar Jenkins, is seen in military fatigues being violently interrogated in a video shared on Russian Telegram channels. The interrogator behind the camera is seen hitting the captive over the head while questioning him in Russian about his identity.
The footage was first shared by Russian military correspondent Alexander Sladkov on Dec. 22.
"I’m Australian... Oscar Jenkins, 32 years old. Live in Australia and Ukraine," Jenkins responded in English with a native accent and in broken Ukrainian.
The man introduces himself as a biology teacher who wanted to help Ukraine and is now based near Kramatorsk, a Ukrainian city in Donetsk Oblast, around 700 kilometers (430 miles) east of Kyiv and 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the front line.
The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed Jenkins' identity as a Melbourne man who studied biology and lived in China since 2015.
Australian officials said they are working to confirm Jenkins's whereabouts and contacting Russian authorities.
"We urge the Russian Government to fully adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to prisoners of war," Australia's acting Foreign Minister and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
"Our immediate priority is understanding where Mr Jenkins is and confirming his wellbeing."
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the Australian embassy in Moscow is trying to obtain all the details regarding Jenkins but warned that "we know that the Russians often put out information that isn’t right."
Russia is believed to focus on capturing foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine, who it presents as "mercenaries" without a right for protection, for potential prisoner swaps. Citizens from dozens of countries have come to Ukraine to help the country resist Russian aggression, mostly joining the International Legion.
In November, Russian forces captured James Scott Rhys Anderson, a former British soldier fighting for Ukraine in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Martin Fornusek
