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Key Points
- Ukraine will negotiate a prisoner swap with Russia to secure Australian Oscar Jenkins’ release.
- Jenkins, who went to Ukraine to fight, is believed to be alive and in Russian captivity.
- Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand said Jenkins will be listed as a prisoner of war by Ukraine.
Ukraine will work to negotiate a prisoner swap with Russia to secure the release of Australian Oscar Jenkins, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia.
Until recently, Jenkins, who had been fighting for Ukraine’s foreign legion in its war against Russia, was feared dead.
In December, video footage emerged of Jenkins being interrogated by Russian forces and news reports in January carried interviews with soldiers he had served alongside who believed he had been killed.
But the federal government said in late January that .
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said Jenkins will be classified as a prisoner of war by Ukraine, as he had a contract with the Ukrainian defence forces.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Myroshnychenko said “all the international law applies to him” as a prisoner of war.
He said Ukraine would try to negotiate his release in prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, which have happened frequently since Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Albanese and Zelenskyy discuss Jenkins’ welfare
The comments came after a conversation between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Jenkins’ welfare was raised.
Albanese shared on social media platform X that he had a “positive discussion” with Zelenskyy, emphasising Australia’s support for Ukraine.
“Australia stands with the courageous and inspirational Ukrainian people in their defence of national sovereignty and the international rule of law,” he wrote.
Zelenskyy also posted on X, thanking Albanese for “Australia’s unwavering support for Ukraine and our people”.
In addition to discussing sanctions against Russia, Zelenskyy wrote the pair talked about further investigation into Jenkins’ imprisonment and condition.
“We must establish all the circumstances surrounding the case of Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins, who fought for Ukraine and has been taken prisoner by Russia,” he wrote.
Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had “received confirmation that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody”.
She also warned Russia that it is “obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment”.
“If Russia does not provide Mr Jenkins the protections he is entitled to under international humanitarian law, our response will be unequivocal,” Wong said.
Ukraine’s embassy in Australia also requested “definitive video proof” from Russia that Jenkins is still alive.
“It should release him rather than use him as a human bargaining chip for its authoritarian aims,” the embassy said in a statement.
Albanese has also called for Jenkins’ release and requested “further assurances and evidence” of his condition from Russia.
Jenkins was the first Australian combatant reportedly captured by Russian forces and his death would have marked the first for an Australian prisoner of war in more than 70 years.
A social media video circulated last month showed Jenkins speaking a mix of broken Russian and English.
“Live in Australia and Ukraine. I’m a teacher,” he said.
In the video, a man asks Jenkins in Russian how he ended up in Kramatorsk, a town 700km east of Kyiv, located near the Russian-Ukrainian frontline in the Donbas region.
Standing in army fatigues in a forest, Jenkins responds that he wanted to help Ukraine and had previously lived in China.
Russia has said foreign citizens fighting for Ukraine will be prosecuted as mercenaries and face up to 15 years in jail, which would contravene international law.
— With the Australian Associated Press.
