Oscar Jenkins: Australia summons Russian ambassador over video of captured

Australia has summoned Russia’s ambassador to the country over reports that a Melbourne man was killed after being captured while fighting for Ukraine.

Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that his government was “gravely concerned” about Oscar Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher, who was captured by Russian forces last year.

The prime minister said Australia would take the “strongest action possible” if reports of Jenkins’s death were correct.

Reports of Mr Jenkins’s death remain unverified.

“We’ll await the facts to come out,” he said. “But if there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, that is absolutely reprehensible and the Australian government will take the strongest action possible,” he said at a press briefing.

“I spoke with the Ukrainian ambassador on Monday in my office. We call upon Russia to immediately confirm Oscar Jenkins’ status, we remain gravely concerned. We will await the facts to come out.”

A government spokesperson said Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky had been summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to answer questions about Mr Jenkins’s status.

“The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Foreign minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio the relationship with Russia had been “very difficult” for many years. “Australia has maintained diplomatic relations with Russia through that period under different governments,” Ms Wong said. “However, we will consider all options once we have ascertained the facts and once we can verify what has actually occurred here with Mr Jenkins.”

Ms Wong also spoke about the Jenkins family. “They’ve lived with the fear and uncertainty of a loved one in the middle of a foreign war for many months. I know these reports will be devastating to them, and they are in my thoughts and I am sure the thoughts of many Australians.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Wednesday that a foreign soldier who had trained Mr Jenkins was “mourning” the death of his “close friend” as he accused Russian forces of torturing and executing the Australian.

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The unidentified soldier, who reportedly served alongside Mr Jenkins, said he had been told on 9 January that the Melbourne man had been executed. He said the news was confirmed by a fellow soldier a day later.

“He wasn’t here for money or glory,” the soldier said of Mr Jenkins. “He was here to help Ukraine. If I can say one thing about Oscar, he was the first one in and the last one out. He always made sure everyone else was taken care of.

“I took him under my wing, helped him with everything I could, made sure he was on his team. I taught him everything I knew.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said Kyiv was trying to confirm if Mr Jenkins had been killed.

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