Russian military propagandists have released a video of an Australian citizen allegedly captured in Ukraine being interrogated. Australia is now investigating this information and identifying the man.
The Guardian writes about this.
The video was first published by Russian propagandist Alexander Sladkov. It was then distributed in Telegram channels and on social networks.
In the video, a man in military uniform identifies himself as 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins, who lives in Australia and Ukraine and works as a teacher. His face is covered in mud. He answers the Russian man’s questions in broken Ukrainian and English. He is punched in the face several times when he doesn’t respond quickly enough.
The manʼs hands are tied with tape or rope. He says he is supposedly near Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region.
There is a LinkedIn profile with the name Oscar Jenkins, but it does not have an avatar. It states that Jenkins graduated from a private Melbourne grammar school, entered Monash University to study biomedical sciences, and later moved to China, where he worked as a lecturer at Tianjin College.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the authenticity of the video and its details are now being verified, as the Russians have repeatedly spread false information.
Meanwhile, the Australian Foreign Ministry has called on Russia to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly regarding prisoners of war. Consular support is being provided to Jenkinsʼ family.