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Australian Volunteer Oscar Jenkins Confirmed Alive in Russian Custody

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Australian Volunteer Oscar Jenkins Confirmed Alive in Russian Custody
(Source: LISTNR)

Oscar Jenkins, an Australian citizen previously reported as killed while in Russian captivity, is alive, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on January 29.

Wong announced on Wednesday that the Australian government had received confirmation from Russia that Jenkins, 32, is being held as a prisoner of war.

“The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody,” said Wong.

“We still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war, we have made it 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.”

The foreign minister also called on Russia to release Jenkins, warning that failure to provide him with the protections required under international law would prompt a strong response from Australia.

Wong said she had spoken with Ukraine’s foreign minister and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, thanking them for their efforts in advocating for Jenkins. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular support to his family.

Few details are available about Jenkins’s captivity, including his exact location and the conditions in which he is being held. According to the Guardian the Russian ambassador has informed Australian officials that Jenkins is in the custody of the Russian Armed Forces on Russian territory and that his health is described as “normal.”

The Australian government is working with Ukraine and the ICRC to gain access to Jenkins to verify his welfare.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, welcomed confirmation that Jenkins was alive but criticized Russia for delaying the information for more than a month.

“However, that the Russian Federation refused to confirm his status for more than a month – and thereby put his family, friends and fellow Australians through anguish – is typical of that barbarous regime.”

Myroshnychenko also pointed to reports of Russian mistreatment of prisoners of war and called on Moscow to provide, “definitive video proof” that Jenkins is alive. “Then more importantly, it should release him rather than use him as a human bargaining chip for its authoritarian aims.”

Jenkins, a former teacher, joined the 402nd Rifle Battalion, part of the 66th Mechanized Brigade, signing his contract on April 4, 2024. During a mission near Mykolaivka in the Luhansk region on December 16, he went missing and was declared a prisoner of war that same day.

In December, pro-Kremlin social media accounts circulated a video appearing to show him in Russian captivity. He was wearing military fatigues, his hands were tied, and his face was smeared with dirt.

In the footage, Jenkins identified himself in both English and Ukrainian and said he had been a biology teacher in Australia and Ukraine. He was also questioned about his presence in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, and whether he was a mercenary.

On January 28, it was reported that Russian intelligence and military personnel are contacting the relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war immediately after their capture, emotionally blackmailing families in order to pressure them into cooperation.

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