Australian officials believe Australian soldier Oscar Jenkins, who travelled to fight in defence of Ukraine, is alive and in Russian captivity, rather than dead as had been feared.

On 14 January, Australia summoned Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky to answer questions about Mr Jenkins’s status. “The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” a spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

Oscar Jenkins went missing on Dec. 16 in 2024 while on a combat mission near the village of Mykolaivka in Luhansk Oblast.

Russian officials have confirmed Oscar Jenkins is alive, Penny Wong has said, ending nearly a month of uncertainty around the captured Australian fighter’s fate.

A Melbourne school teacher has been confirmed alive two weeks after he was feared killed by Russian forces amid the Ukraine war. Oscar Jenkins, who has no military background, volunteered to fight for Ukraine despite the Australian Government’s plea for citizens not to join the country’s military efforts.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement today that she had been told by Russian officials that Jenkins was still alive. "The Australian government has received confirmation from Russia that Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody,

The Australian government has been told by Moscow that one of its citizens in Russian captivity is still alive. Oscar Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher, was captured last year while fighting for Ukraine.

Australian foreign fighter Oscar Jenkins, who was believed to have been killed by Russian forces after his capture, may still be alive.