An Australian volunteer soldier fighting for Ukraine has appeared in a video uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 8, alive but injured.
In the video, a man identifies himself as 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins who went missing on Dec. 16 in 2024 while on a combat mission near the village of Mykolaivka in Luhansk Oblast.
A man behind the camera says the date at the time of filming is Jan. 17, around the same time reports circulated that Jenkins had been executed by his Russian captors.
Jenkins says he feels "weak" and has "lost a lot of weight," and that he has a broken arm.
He is then asked to confirm that reports about his death are untrue.
"Correct," he replies.
Jenkins was serving in the 402nd Separate Rifle Battalion, which is part of Ukraine's 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.Info reported on Jan. 17.
In a video that emerged on Russian Telegram channels in late December, Jenkins is seen in military fatigues, interrogated by Russian captors.
The man behind the camera asks the captive about his name and background and whether he wants to live while beating him over the head.
Unverified reports began circulating in mid-January that the soldier was executed by his Russian captors, prompting Australian officials to make urgent inquiries to Russia about his whereabouts.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Jan. 29 that Jenkins was alive but that "we still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war,"
Russia has been repeatedly accused of summarily executing Ukrainian POWs throughout the war.
The Geneva Conventions mandate all warring parties to treat POW with respect and dignity, while executing POWs is considered a gross violation of international law and a war crime.
Unlike most other foreigners volunteering to join Ukraine's resistance against Russia, Jenkins has had no military experience.
The Australian media described the man as "much loved" by his community in Australia, a talented cricket and football player who studied biomedical sciences before working as a lecturer in China.
He is believed to have traveled to Ukraine in 2024.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
