An unverified video uploaded to YouTube appears to show Australian Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, though weak and with a serious injury.
In January, there were reports that Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher from Melbourne, had died after his capture while serving alongside Ukraine’s armed forces. The video appears to be intended to counter those reports.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, has said Russia had confirmed Jenkins was alive and being held as a prisoner of war, urging Russia to treat him humanely. On Tuesday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he still held “serious concerns” for Jenkins’ welfare.
In the 84-second video, uploaded to YouTube on 8 February, a man’s voice with an eastern European accent is heard saying it is 17 January 2025.
Then the man in front of the camera, who is dressed in green military fatigues, identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins, 32 years old, from Australia.
The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th mechanised brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine.
He asks Jenkins about his health, saying “are you OK?”
“I would like more freedom,” Jenkins replies with a nervous laugh.
“No, my health,” he continues. “I feel a bit weak. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I have a broken arm still, I think. My hand is not good.”
The man behind the camera interrupts to say “but you are alive” and Jenkins gives a slight nod.
“The information about your death is not right?” he is asked. Jenkins replies: “Correct.”
The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie and says: “Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better.”
Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video.
Albanese said on Tuesday he had seen the video and the Australian government continued to hold “serious concerns” for Jenkins’ welfare.
“We’ve made it clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and that there are obligations that kick in, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and they must be observed,” the prime minister said.
“We’ve also, of course, made representations to Ukraine, including a one-on-one discussion that I had with president [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy raising Mr Jenkins’ welfare. We have called for Russia to release Mr Jenkins so that he can come home to his family.”
Beyond the video, there are few details on Jenkins’s captivity, such as where he is incarcerated, or the conditions of his detention. It is understood Jenkins is in the custody of the Russian armed forces and that he is being held on Russian territory.
The Australian government is working with Ukraine and the International Committee of the Red Cross to push for direct access to Jenkins to independently verify his welfare.
The department of foreign affairs and trade is providing consular support to Jenkins’s family.
Wong said the government had been made aware of the new video of Jenkins “in recent days” but warned against accepting it uncritically.
“I will say we do know that Russia is very prone to misinformation and disinformation, and I think, in relation to Mr Jenkins, and more generally, we should always be aware of Russia’s propensity to provide us with incorrect information.”
The foreign minister was also asked about the New Zealand government’s declaration that it “would be open” to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine should a ceasefire be brokered. Wong said she would not speculate on Australia’s disposition towards committing personnel.
“We’ve obviously provided a great deal of military support and humanitarian support to Ukraine. We obviously continue to back Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and immoral war against the people and territory of Ukraine. I’m not going to speculate on matters – obviously there’s a lot of dialogue and negotiations currently being engaged in.”
International humanitarian law protects soldiers taken prisoners of war. The Third Geneva convention states all prisoners of war must be treated humanely and are to be protected from acts of violence or intimidation.
International humanitarian law also defines minimum conditions of detention, including standards of accommodation, food, clothing, hygiene and medical care.
At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, but Jenkins is believed to be the first to be captured and held as a prisoner of war.
