An unverified video uploaded to YouTube appears to show Australian Oscar Jenkins alive in Russian captivity, though weak and with a serious injury.
In January there were reports that Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher from Melbourne, had died after his capture while serving alongside Ukraine’s armed forces. The video appears to be intended to counter those reports.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, has said Russia had confirmed Jenkins was alive and being held as a prisoner of war, urging Russia to treat him humanely. On Tuesday the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he still held “serious concerns” for Jenkins’ welfare.
In the video, uploaded to YouTube on 8 February, a man’s voice with an eastern European accent is heard saying it is 17 January 2025.
Then the man in front of the camera, who is dressed against the cold in military fatigues, identifies himself as Oscar Jenkins, 32 years old, from Australia.
The man behind the camera says Jenkins is a prisoner of war from the 66th mechanised brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine.
He asks Jenkins about his health, saying “are you OK?”
“Like, freedom?” Jenkins replies with a nervous laugh.
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“No, my health,” he continues. “I feel a bit weak. I’ve lost a lot of weight. I have a broken arm still, I think. My hand is not good …”
The man behind the camera interrupts to say “but you are alive”, and Jenkins gives a slight nod.
“The information about your death is not right?” he is asked.
Jenkins replies: “Correct.”
The man behind the camera then asks Jenkins to remove his beanie, and says: “Everything is OK, he is alive, and I think he will [be] better.”
Guardian Australia has not independently verified the video.
Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he had seen the video, but the Australian government continued to hold “serious concerns” for Jenkins’ welfare.
“We’ve made it clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war and that there are obligations that kick in, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and they must be observed,” he said.
“We’ve also, of course, made representations to Ukraine, including a one-on-one discussion that I had with president [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy raising Mr Jenkins’ welfare. We have called for Russia to release Mr Jenkins so that he can come home to his family.”
