The Australian government, through its embassy in Moscow, is seeking confirmation of reports that 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins, an Australian citizen, has been captured and possibly killed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador to Australia has also been summoned to a meeting with officials.
According to 7News, a source said his body has been found.
If it is true that he has been executed, that would make him the first Australian prisoner of war to be put to death in over 70 years.
A video posted on Russian-linked Telegram accounts shows a man whose hands seem tightly bound with tape and whose face is muddied being questioned by another man who is speaking Russian. It is not clear whether he was speaking under duress.
He identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins and says he lives in Australia and Ukraine.
His interrogator appears to hit him twice across the head. Jenkins seems to have trouble understanding questions asked in Russian at times, though he replies in a mixture of Russian, Ukrainian, and English.
When asked why he is in Ukraine, he replies, “A soldier. ”
He adds that he is a teacher in China and a student in Australia. His LinkedIn profile says he’s a “marketing consultant and university lecturer” who attended Melbourne Grammar School and then Melbourne University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences.
‘Damn Good Soldier’
The ABC spoke to an American national who had fought alongside him, calling him “a damn good soldier” and adding he was “worried sick” about his welfare.A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) told The Epoch Times that the reports “have not been verified,” but the government has “grave concerns for Mr. Jenkins’ welfare.”
The Department was providing consular support to Jenkins’ family, which had asked for privacy.
“The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, when asked about the video by reporters, said it was “concerning news.”
“We’re working through the Department ... to provide support, including, for this gentleman, trying to ascertain the details and the facts which are there,” Albanese said.
Expel Russia’s Ambassador: Coalition
Coalition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham said if reports of what he termed an “extrajudicial execution” were true, the government needed to respond “in the strongest possible terms” by expelling Russia’s ambassador.
“Three years ago the then-Labor opposition urged Russian diplomatic expulsions, yet in government Labor have undertaken no such action,” he said.
“If Russia has engaged in such an egregious and illegal action then it must now be a catalyst for action. Nothing less than the recalling of Australia’s ambassador to Russia, and expulsion of Russia’s ambassador to Australia would be sufficient in such circumstances.”
At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, but Jenkins is the first reported to have been captured and held as a prisoner of war.
Australia has supported Ukraine with more than $1.5 billion ($930 million) since the invasion began.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited the country last week to announce the reopening of Australia’s embassy in Kyiv, ahead of the ambassador’s planned arrival next month.
