Australian fighting for Ukraine captured, claims Russian video; Canberra verifying facts

The Australian federal government initiated an inquiry after a video was released purporting that the Russian forces captured an Australian man fighting for Ukraine in the ongoing war. The man, who identified himself in the video as Oscar Jenkins, was seen being questioned roughly in the video.

According to Nine News, which broke the story, the footage was reportedly shared by the Russian journalist Alexander Sladkov on Telegram. The video soon started circulating online, prompting a response from the Australian government. According to The Guardian, federal officials are currently working to verify the authenticity of the video and gain more details about the man.

In the video, Jenkins has his hand bound with what appears to be tape or plastic. He was seen wearing military fatigues and had dirt on his face. While answering in English and broken Russian, the man said that he was 32 years old and lived in Australia and Ukraine. “I’m Australian,” Jenkins says in English. “Oscar Jenkins. 32 years old … I study biology.”

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Oscar Jenkins 32 year old Australian teacher caught by the Russian army as mercenary for Ukraine. In the other video he wished to force the Chinese people to become vegans. Such derranged western psycho joining a war that he does not understand. Can you see why this is happening? pic.twitter.com/joWCfR23Fa

— SynCronus (@syncronus) December 22, 2024

Australian PM casts doubts

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the country is currently investigating the matter, insisting that Russian forces sometimes seeded incorrect information. “This is concerning news, and we’re working through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide support, including, for this gentleman, trying to ascertain the details and the facts which are there,” the prime minister told reporters on Monday morning.

“We know that the Russians often put out information that isn’t right. So our embassy in Moscow is working. But in addition to that, Foreign Affairs and Trade are working here as well," he added. Meanwhile, his government assured that it would “make appropriate representations” to Russian authorities.

“We always look after Australians,” he said. “That’s the job of an Australian Government, is to make representations for Australian citizens," the Australian government averred.

Sladkov shared the video on Telegram with a caption in Russian and translated to English states “our biologist was caught from Australia”. “What is this guy doing? Who is this guy?” the caption reads. “I hope everything will be fine with the guy, trial, hard labour, everything as it should be. I understand the Ukrainian prisoners. But what is this guy doing here?” he wrote.