Russia jails Australian citizen for fighting in Ukrainian military

Russian authorities claim Jenkins arrived in Ukraine from Melbourne in February 2024 to help defend against the Russian invasion. In Ternopil, he signed a contract with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense before being sent to battle near Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Moscow-appointed prosecutors allege that from March to December 2024 Jenkins participated in combat operations against invading Russian troops.

Jenkins served with the 402nd Separate Infantry Battalion, part of Ukraine’s 66th Mechanized Brigade. He signed with the military on April 4, 2024.

On Dec. 16, 2024, while on a combat mission near Mykolaivka in Luhansk Oblast, Jenkins went missing. That same day, his name appeared on lists of soldiers likely held in Russian captivity. Days later, Russian military propagandists released video footage showing Jenkins being interrogated and beaten.

In January 2025, Australia’s ABC and CNN Seven News, citing unnamed Ukrainian sources, reported that the Australian might have been killed in captivity. In response, Australia summoned the Russian ambassador.

On Jan. 15, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to take “the strongest measures” if Russia harmed the Australian serviceman.

At the end of January, the Australian government received word from Russia that Oscar Jenkins was alive and being held by the occupying forces.

On April 19, Albanese said Australia continues to push for Jenkins’ release and safe return.

“We will continue to appeal to the disgraceful regime of Vladimir Putin on Jenkins’s behalf. We are going to use every tool at our disposal. Russia’s war against the Ukrainian people is a war against international law, a war against international sovereignty,” the Australian PM said.