Australia demands Russians free soldier Oscar Jenkins after confirmation he is alive

The Albanese government is pressing Russia to release captured soldier Oscar Jenkins after the extraordinary revelation the Australian, who travelled to fight in defence of Ukraine, is alive in captivity, rather than dead as had been feared.

Friends of the former Melbourne school teacher were delighted on Wednesday afternoon when Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed a report in this masthead that Australian officials are confident the 32-year-old is alive.

Wong said earlier this month that the government held “grave concerns for Mr Jenkins’ welfare” and was “making urgent inquiries following the reports of his death”, initially broadcast on 7News.

Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins was reported to have been killed by Russian troops.

Russia’s ambassador to Australia, Aleksey Pavlovsky, advised Australian officials on Tuesday night that Jenkins had been detained by members of the Russian military and was being held in custody in Russia, sources familiar with the matter said.

Pavlovsky had advised that Jenkins’ health condition was normal, the sources said, adding that members of Jenkins’ family were informed of the news.

“The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody. We still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins as a prisoner of war,” Wong said in a statement on Wednesday.

Wong called on Russia to release Jenkins from captivity, warning that Australia’s response would be “unequivocal” if he did not receive the protections he is entitled to under international humanitarian law.

Australian officials are working with Ukraine the International Committee of the Red Cross to push for consular access to Jenkins so they can verify his welfare.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, said it was “good news for Australians” that Jenkins was believed to be alive.

“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,” he said.

“In line with international norms, Russia must therefore provide definitive video proof of Oscar being alive and then, more importantly, it should release him rather than use him as a bargaining chip for its authoritarian aims.”

Myroshnychenko had expressed doubts in recent days about claims that Jenkins had been executed while in captivity, saying he believed they may have been part of a Russian disinformation effort.

Asked whether the government believed Jenkins was alive, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the ABC on Wednesday afternoon: “I’m reticent to confirm that that is the case, but certainly that has been the statement made by Russian authorities through to our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials as well.

“So if that is the case, it certainly would be welcome.”

Albanese said Australian officials were “seeking further confirmation and details” on the matter.

Maurice Clayton, who played cricket with Jenkins for over a decade in Melbourne, said he was lost for words after hearing the “amazing” update on Wednesday.

“I think everyone holds hope that the reports are true, that he remains safe and can return to Australia safely at some point,” he said.

Clayton, who had not spoken to Jenkins family directly, said he could only imagine how devastating the past few months must have been for them.

“What they and Oscar have endured is truly unimaginable,” he said.

Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations co-chair Kateryna Argyrou said the Ukrainian community was “simply overjoyed” by reports that Jenkins was alive.

“What a relief this news must be to his family and friends, who have had a shocking time filled with uncertainty, grief and a sense of powerlessness,” she said. “Putin bears responsibility for their pain.”

When reports emerged of Jenkins’ supposed death emerged this month, the Australian government said it was urgently seeking to confirm whether Jenkins had died.

Foreign soldiers who fought alongside Jenkins with the Ukrainian army told this masthead and others earlier this month they believed he had been executed by Russian forces and were mourning his passing.

Jenkins’ plight first came to light when footage began circulating online on December 22, showing him in Russian captivity with his hands tied being paraded before a camera by Russian soldiers.

He was seen being slapped across the face and questioned.

In the video, Jenkins, speaking in English and broken Ukrainian, explained he had been fighting in the Donbas region to help Ukraine.

Jenkins attended Melbourne Grammar School, studied biomedical sciences at Monash University and had been working as a lecturer at a Tianjin college in China.

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