An Australian prisoner of war has reportedly been killed by Russian forces in the Ukraine.
Australian government officials have ‘grave concerns’ for Melbourne teacher Oscar Jenkins, 34, and have launched ‘urgent enquiries’ with Russian authorities.
Mr Jenkins was serving alongside Ukraine’s armed forces when he was captured by Russian forces last year.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the Seven News reports that Mr Jenkins has been executed ‘have not been verified’.
‘The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,’ a spokesperson said.
‘DFAT is continuing to provide consular support to Mr Jenkins’s family during this difficult time.
‘His family has requested privacy and we ask that media respect their wishes.’
The Russian ambassador to Australia was summoned to DFAT offices at the Foreign Minister’s direction on Monday to answer questions on the Australian’s wellbeing.
Former Melbourne school teacher Oscar Jenkins who was captured by the Russians while fighting for the Ukrainians has reportedly been executed
Mr Jenkins is among at least seven Australians killed while fighting in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in 2022.
He’s believed to be the first to be captured and held as a prisoner of war.
It comes weeks after Mr Jenkins was paraded on camera by Russian soldiers in a disturbing video uploaded to the social media platform Telegram.
Mr Jenkins was seen bound and forced to his knees by his captors.
Speaking in a mix of English and broken Ukrainian, his captor slapped him in the face while demanding he answer questions being peppered at him in Russian.
‘Where are you from?’ the soldier asked him.
Unable to understand, Mr Jenkins looked confused before he was slapped by his captor.
‘F*** speaker faster,’ the Russian said.
Oscar Jenkins is a former member of Melbourne’s Toorak-Prahran Cricket Club and studied at one of Victoria’s most elite private schools
DFAT officials are investigating reports that Mr Jenkins has been executed by Russian soldiers. Pictured are Russian soldiers patrol a village on the Ukrainian border
When asked his nationality, Mr Jenkins replied: ‘I’m Australian.’
Dressed in military gear with dirt smeared on his face, Mr Jenkins was repeatedly asked about why he was in Kramatorsk, almost 700 kilometres east of Kyiv.
The Russian soldier demanded to know if Mr Jenkins was being paid by the Ukraine to wage war on its behalf.
Under Russia’s criminal code, ‘mercenarism’ can attract up to 15 years in prison.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled news of the capture as ‘concerning’ at the time of the video.
‘So our embassy in Moscow is working. But in addition to that, Foreign Affairs and Trade are working here as well,’ he said.
‘We always look after Australians. That’s the job of an Australian government — to make representations for Australian citizens.’
In a disturbing video posted to social media in December Mr Jenkins was shown being slapped by an interrogator asking why he was fighting in Ukraine
Mr Jenkins studied at Melbourne Grammar, one of Victoria’s most prestigious schools.
He graduated in 2010, studied biomedical sciences at Monash University and moved to China in 2015, it reported.
Since 2017, he has been working as a lecturer at Tianjin college.
It is unclear when he left China and how long he has been fighting with Ukrainian forces on the frontline.
A school friend told the publication Mr Jenkins was a good person who had been an intelligent, well-liked classmate and ‘great sportsman’ who represented the first XI cricket and first XVII football teams.
Mr Jenkins’ LinkedIn profile lists him as a former member of Toorak-Prahran Cricket Club.
His mate claimed Mr Jenkins had become ‘sort of withdrawn’ since moving to China and had recently deleted much of his social media.
A passionate vegan, he uploaded a single video to his YouTube channel last year titled: ‘I will force Chinese people to be vegan.’
‘The only people who are friends with me anyway are vegans,’ Mr Jenkins said in the video.
‘If you’re not vegan, and you’re my friend then you’re going to be vegan soon, or we’re gonna fight … and my mum, I’m still talking to my mum.
‘Otherwise, it’s quite limited. There’s some help from the outside from family wanting to do stuff.’
