Anthony Albanese has warned he will take the ‘strongest possible action’ against Russia if Oscar Jenkins is confirmed dead.
Melbourne teacher Jenkins, 32, was serving with Ukrainian forces when he was captured by Russian forces last year.
But the POW was reportedly executed by Russian forces after the Australian government launched “urgent investigations” with Moscow and called in the Russian ambassador.
The Prime Minister said on Wednesday morning that Australia would take the “strongest possible action” against Russia if Mr Jenkins was confirmed to have been killed.
“We call on Russia to immediately confirm the status of Oscar Jenkins,” Albanese told reporters at a news conference in Tasmania.
‘We remain seriously concerned. We will wait for the facts to emerge, but if Oscar Jenkins has suffered any harm it is absolutely reprehensible and the Australian Government will take the strongest possible action.”
Despite the warning, Mr Albanese insisted this was so ‘not to anticipate the facts’.
‘I am not someone who is competing to become shadow foreign secretary. I am someone who is Prime Minister of Australia and we will respond to the facts.
Former Melbourne school teacher Oscar Jenkins, who was captured by the Russians while fighting for the Ukrainians, has reportedly been executed
The Prime Minister (pictured) said on Wednesday morning that Australia would take the “strongest possible action” against Russia if Mr Jenkins was confirmed to have been killed.
‘We have already contacted the Russian ambassador. We are seeking clarification as to whether… any harm has been caused to Mr Jenkins and we will take the strongest possible action if it is the case that any harm has been caused to him.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong previously said “all options are on the table”, including the possible expulsion of the Russian ambassador to Australia.
“Russia is obliged to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment and the right to a fair trial,” she told the ABC.
‘We will look at the facts as they become known. But I want to be clear: all options are on the table.’
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Tuesday evening that the Seven news items that Mr. Jenkins was executed “have not been verified.”
“The Russian Federation is obliged to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” a spokesperson said.
“DFAT continues to provide consular support to Mr Jenkins’ family at this difficult time.
“His family has requested privacy and we ask that the media respect their wishes.”
The Russian ambassador to Australia was summoned to the DFAT office on Monday at the direction of the foreign minister to answer questions about the Australian’s well-being.
Mr Jenkins is one of at least seven Australians killed in fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
He is believed to be the first Australian prisoner of war to be put to death in more than seventy years.
Federal Opposition Senator Simon Birmingham called on the Albanian government to respond “in the strongest possible terms” if reports of Jenkins’ death are true.
‘Three years ago, the then Labor opposition called for Russia’s diplomatic expulsion, but within the government Labor took no such action. “If Russia has engaged in such a blatant and illegal action, it must act as a catalyst for action now,” he said.
“Nothing less than recalling the Australian ambassador to Russia and expelling the Russian ambassador to Australia would suffice in such circumstances.”
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 tied up and forced to his knees by his captors.
Oscar Jenkins is a former member of Melbourne’s Toorak-Prahran Cricket Club and attended one of Victoria’s most elite private schools
DFAT officials are investigating reports that Mr Jenkins was executed by Russian soldiers. The photo shows Russian soldiers patrolling a village on the Ukrainian border
His captor spoke in a mix of English and broken Ukrainian and punched him in the face, demanding he answer questions sent to him in Russian.
‘Where do you come from?’ the soldier asked him.
Mr Jenkins couldn’t understand it and looked confused before he was punched by his captor.
“F*** speaker faster,” the Russian said.
When asked about his nationality, Mr Jenkins replied: ‘I’m Australian.’
Dressed in military fatigues with dirt on his face, Mr Jenkins was repeatedly asked why he was in Kramatorsk, almost 700 kilometers east of Kiev.
The Russian soldier demanded to know whether Mr. Jenkins was being paid by Ukraine to wage war on Ukraine’s behalf.
According to Russia’s criminal code, “mercenarism” can carry up to 15 years in prison.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described news of the arrest as “worrying” at the time of the video.
In a disturbing video posted on social media in December, Mr Jenkins was beaten by an interrogator and asked why he was fighting in Ukraine.
“So our embassy in Moscow is working. But in addition, Foreign Affairs and Trade also work here,” he said.
“We always look after Australians. That is the job of an Australian government: to stand up for Australian citizens.”
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.
Since 2017, he has worked as a teacher at Tianjin College.
It is unclear when he left China and how long he fought with Ukrainian troops on the front lines.
A school friend told the publication that Mr Jenkins was a good man, an intelligent, well-liked classmate and a ‘great sportsman’ who represented the First XI cricket and First XVII football teams.
Mr Jenkins is listed on his LinkedIn profile as a former member of Toorak-Prahran Cricket Club.
His partner claimed Mr Jenkins had become ‘a bit 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 with the title: “I will force Chinese people to be vegan.”
“The only people who are friends with me anyway are vegans,” Jenkins said in the video.
“If you’re not vegan, and you’re my girlfriend, you’re going to be vegan soon, or we’re going to fight… and my mom, I still talk to my mom.
‘Otherwise it’s quite limited. There is help from outside, from family who want to do things.’