Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins is reportedly still alive and in Russian captivity after fears that he was killed in Ukraine.
According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, Russian officials have confirmed that Jenkins is alive and in captivity.
“The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement today.
“We still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war,” she said.
Wong also called on Russia to release Jenkins from captivity, warning that Australia’s response would be “unequivocal” if he did not receive the protections that he is entitled to under international humanitarian law.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was urgently seeking confirmation Jenkins is alive.
“I am reticent to confirm that is the case, but certainly that is the statement that has been made by Russian authorities to our department,” Albanese told the ABC.
“We have received that information through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but we are seeking confirmation.”
Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said he too was working to verify Jenkin’s condition.
“I am working closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to verify information on Oscar Jenkins,” Myroshnychenko said.
The former Melbourne teacher travelled to Ukraine to fight Moscow’s invasion and became the first known Australian to be captured in the conflict last year, when footage emerged of the 32-year-old being questioned and hit by Russian soldiers.
