PM Anthony Albanese said the 13-year sentence of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins is “an outrage”

PM Anthony Albanese said the 13-year sentencing of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins is “an outrage” and the government will be advocating for his release.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the 13-year sentencing of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins is “an outrage” and the government will be advocating for his release.

Speaking in Rome ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration on Sunday, Mr Albanese lashed Russian authorities over the sentencing of Mr Jenkins who is serving as a member of the regular armed forces of Ukraine.

“We will continue to make representations and continue to advocate on behalf of Mr Jenkins,” he said while speaking to the media in Italy.

“Let’s be very clear, this sentence by Russia is an outrage, it is a continuation of the way that they have behaved, abrogating their international responsibilities.

“This conflict began with them choosing to invade a sovereign nation and to abrogate their responsibility to uphold international law and so we’ll continue to advocate very strongly on behalf of Mr Jenkins.

Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese has labelled the sentencing of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins who is fighting in Ukraine as “an outrage”. pic.twitter.com/Vn0JKeD9xZ

— Sophie Elsworth (@sophieelsworth) May 17, 2025

“We don’t believe that this is a legitimate decision by a legal process in Russia”.

Mr Albanese is scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the weekend and he said there is the potential to hold talks with some other world leaders including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking in Rome ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration. Picture: Sophie Elsworth

Mr Albanese’s comments come after Foreign Minister Penny Wong slammed Russia’s “sham trial” after Mr Jenkins was handed a 13-year jail term.

“As a full serving member of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war,” Senator Wong said in a statement.

“The Australian Government has made clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins must be given the protections afforded to him as a prisoner of war,” Senator Wong continued.

“Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment.”

Penny Wong has lashed the incarceration of Oscar Jenkins.

“We continue to hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins. We are working with Ukraine and other partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to advocate for his welfare and release.”

Senator Wong said Mr Jenkins’ family was being provided with consular support by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The 33-year-old former biology teacher from Melbourne, was convicted of being a “mercenary in an armed conflict” and sentenced to 13 years “in a strict regime penal colony” by a Russian-controlled court in Ukraine’s east Luhansk region.

Russia and its eastern Ukrainian proxies consider foreigners travelling to fight in Ukraine as “mercenaries”.

Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins has been jailed for 13 years by Russia. Picture: Supplied

This enables them to prosecute them under its criminal code, rather than treating them as captured prisoners of war with protections and rights under the Geneva Convention.

Russia-installed prosecutors said Mr Jenkins “took part in combat operations against Russian military personnel between March and December 2024”.

They released a video showing Mr Jenkins standing in a courtroom behind a glass cage, his hands behind his back and his expression despondent.

Russian forces captured Mr Jenkins in December 2024.

Mr Jenkins has been sentenced to 13 years in a Russian jail. Picture: YouTube

He was captured near a village on the Zherebets River in Luhansk called Makiivka while fighting with the 402nd Rifle Battalion in Ukraine’s 66th Mechanised Brigade.

The court heard Mr Jenkins he arrived in Ukraine in February 2024 and was paid a “monthly reward” of between $11,400 and $15,000.

This account differs from earlier reports which suggested Mr Jenkins was fighting with a group of former soldiers and volunteers known as the International Legion of Defence of Ukraine.

In that same month he was captured, Mr Jenkins appeared in a video shared by a Russian military blogger showing him being roughly interrogated and slapped in the face.

He was then believed to have been killed in captivity, with Australia even summoning the Russian ambassador to get answers.

Russia ultimately confirmed Mr Jenkins was alive.

Originally published as PM Anthony Albanese said the 13-year sentence of Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins is “an outrage”