Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says gov’t working to confirm report that volunteer battle was killed by Russian forces.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to take the “strongest doable motion” towards Russia whether it is confirmed that Russian forces killed a Melbourne faculty trainer of their captivity in Ukraine.
Albanese made the remarks on Wednesday after Seven Information reported that Oscar Jenkins, who volunteered to battle with Ukrainian forces, was believed to have been killed.
Australia’s Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce has stated it has not verified the report, which cited unnamed sources in Ukraine, however officers have “grave issues” for Jenkins’ welfare.
“We name upon Russia to instantly verify Oscar Jenkins’s standing, we stay gravely involved,” Albanese instructed reporters in Tasmania.
“We’ll await the information to return out. But when there was any hurt triggered to Oscar Jenkins, that’s completely reprehensible and the Australian authorities will take the strongest motion doable.”
Australian Minister for Overseas Affairs Penny Wong stated earlier that officers had been making “pressing enquiries” about Jenkins and “all choices” had been being thought of by way of a diplomatic response, together with the doable expulsion of the Russian ambassador.
“My ideas are with Mr Jenkins’s household. They’ve lived with the concern and uncertainty of a liked one in the midst of a international struggle for a lot of months. I do know these reviews shall be devastating to them, and they’re in my ideas, and I’m certain the ideas of many Australians,” Wong instructed ABC Radio.
Wong stated that Australia had had a “troublesome relationship” with Russia for a few years, citing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17 by a Russian-made missile in 2014 with the lack of 298 individuals, together with 38 Australians.
“We now have maintained, Australia has maintained diplomatic relations with Russia by means of that interval beneath completely different governments. Nonetheless, we’ll take into account all choices as soon as we now have ascertained the information and as soon as we are able to confirm what has really occurred right here with Mr Jenkins,” Wong stated.
Video that circulated on social media final month confirmed Jenkins wearing fight uniform whereas being interrogated and hit throughout the pinnacle by an unseen man talking Russian.
The 32-year-old is believed to be the primary Australian held as a prisoner of struggle by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Not together with Jenkins, a minimum of six Australians are believed to have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion.
If his demise is confirmed, Jenkins could be the primary Australian prisoner of struggle killed by a international energy since Horace William “Slim” Madden died in captivity in North Korea in 1951.
