Skip to content
Edit post

Australian citizen fighting for Ukraine allegedly captured by Russia

by Martin Fornusek December 23, 2024 10:01 AM 2 min read
Ukraine and Australia flag together realtions textile cloth fabric texture. (Oleksii Liskonih/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

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.

China’s support ‘keeps Putin’s army in the field in Ukraine,’ Australia’s intelligence chief says
Beijing’s “massive provision” of dual-use goods, as well as diplomatic and economic support, allow Russia to continue its war against Ukraine, the chief of Australia’s intelligence agency said on Nov. 6, Reuters reported.

News Feed

12:43 PM

Ukraine receives $1.1 billion from IMF.

The funds come as already the sixth tranche disbursed to Ukraine under the IMF's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, raising the amount provided so far to $9.8 billion.
5:19 AM

Trump names 5 picks for Pentagon jobs.

Trump's picks include Elbridge Colby, who opposes Ukraine's NATO membership but supports tougher sanctions on Moscow, and Michael Duffey, who froze military aid to Kyiv in 2019.
6:58 PM

Ombudsman reacts to alleged Russian execution of Ukrainian POWs.

"The video shows how Russian soldiers shot five captured Ukrainian defenders," Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, referring to drone footage released by the 110th Mechanized Brigade earlier on Dec. 22 that appears to have captured Russian troops shooting surrendered Ukrainian soldiers from behind.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.