An Australian man who was feared dead after being captured by Russian forces is alive, foreign minister Penny Wong has announced.
Oscar Jenkins, 32, a teacher who signed up to fight for Ukraine against Russia, was taken captive in December last year. A video showed him being struck by a Russian interrogator, sparking fears for his life.
“The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody,” Ms Wong said on Wednesday.
Australia still has “serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war”, she said.
“We have made clear to Russia in Canberra and in Moscow that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment.”
Canberra has called on Russia to release Mr Jenkins.
“If Russia does not provide Mr Jenkins the protections he is entitled to under international humanitarian law, our response will be unequivocal,” Ms Wong said.
Russia has previously warned that foreign fighters in Ukraine will not be afforded the rights given to lawful combatants according to international humanitarian law.
“I wish to make an official statement that none of the mercenaries the West is sending to Ukraine to fight for the nationalist regime in Kyiv can be considered as combatants in accordance with international humanitarian law or enjoy the status of prisoners of war,” a defence ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by TASS after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“At best, they can expect to be prosecuted as criminals. We are urging all foreign citizens who may have plans to go and fight for Kyiv’s nationalist regime to think a dozen times before getting on the way.”
Ms Wong thanked Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and the International Committee of the Red Cross president for their “ongoing advocacy for Mr Jenkins”.
The Russian ambassador said Mr Jenkins was in the custody of the armed forces, The Guardian reported. His health condition is said to be “normal”.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular support to Mr Jenkins’ family.
Another foreign fighter who trained with Mr Jenkins said earlier this month that he believed the Russian forces had executed the Australian prisoner to make an example of him, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 14 January.
Soon after, prime minister Anthony Albanese said that his government was “gravely concerned” about the capture of Mr Jenkins and warned of the “strongest action possible” if reports of his death were correct.
On 14 January, Australia summoned Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky 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,” a spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
