The Australian government is “making urgent inquiries” after reports of the death of an Australian citizen captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine.
Oscar Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher from Melbourne, was serving alongside Ukraine’s armed forces when he was reportedly captured by Russian soldiers last year as a prisoner of war. A video taken at the time showed him, dressed in military fatigues, speaking English and Ukrainian, confirming his name and nationality, and being asked if he was a mercenary.
The Australian government has now said it is “making urgent inquiries following reports of Oscar Jenkins’ death”.
“These reports have not been verified, but we continue to have grave concerns for Mr Jenkins’ welfare,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement on Tuesday.
Dfat summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday to seek information on Jenkins “and reiterate Australia’s expectations that Russia will comply with its obligations under international law”.
“The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” a spokesperson said.
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.
If he was killed in Russian custody, Jenkins would be the first Australian prisoner of war executed since the second world war.
Dfat said it was continuing to provide Jenkins’ family with support and that they had requested privacy.
In December, video circulated on pro-Kremlin social media accounts showing Jenkins in what appeared to be Russian captivity. He was dressed in military fatigues with his hands tied and dirt across his face. He is hit in the head by a person off-camera who asks him questions in Russian.
In response, he identified himself as 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins and, speaking in both English and Ukrainian, said he was a biology teacher who lived in Australia and Ukraine.
In the short video, Jenkins was asked why he was in Kramatorsk – in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine – and if he was a mercenary, being paid to fight.
