‘I feel a bit weak’: New video emerges showing Australian captured in Ukraine

The Albanese government has repeated calls to Russia to release Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins after an unverified video was posted online purporting to show him in captivity and in which he says he is weak and has a broken arm.

Dressed in army fatigues, a downcast Jenkins, captured while fighting in Ukraine, is asked to provide an update on his welfare by those filming.

“My name is Oscar Jenkins, I’m Australian,” he says in the video uploaded to YouTube just over a week ago.

The person filming – a man who appears to be one of his captors – says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th Mechanised Brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine.

The man says in English that the date is January 17. This masthead has not been able to verify when or where the video was made.

“Tell us about your health condition, about your mood. Are you OK?” the man says.

“I would like more freedom,” Jenkins responds.

“I feel a bit weak. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I have a broken arm still, I think, and my hand is not good.”

In the footage, Jenkins is seen dressed in a heavy coat and beanie. Winter temperatures in Russia have dropped to as low as minus 20 degrees.

The video appears to have been created to dispel rumours that the Australian had been killed in captivity.

“You are alive, so the information about your death is not right?” the man filming says.

“Correct,” Jenkins responds.

The man then instructs Jenkins to remove his beanie, which he does.

“Everything is OK. He is alive and I think he will [be] better,” the man says to end the video.

The Albanese government is pressing Russia to release Jenkins, who was captured late last year while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong last month said Australian officials were confident the 32-year-old Melbourne school teacher was alive despite reports of his death.

“We still hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins’ welfare,” a spokesperson for the foreign minister told this masthead on Monday in response to the video.

“Australia has made clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law.

“The government calls on Russia to release Mr Jenkins.”

Jenkins’ capture was first reported in December, when footage was circulated online of the Australian – with his hands tied – being paraded before a camera by Russian soldiers.

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

It is unclear how long Jenkins, who graduated from the prestigious Melbourne Grammar in 2010 and left Australia to teach and travel in China in 2015, had been fighting with Ukrainian forces.

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

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.