An Australian national, Oscar Jenkins, has been sentenced to 13 years in a pro-Russian court in eastern Ukraine for being convicted of working as a mercenary in the conflict. The 33-year-old former Melbourne biology teacher was captured by Russian troops in December 2024 while fighting with Ukrainian forces.
The Luhansk court, controlled by pro-Russian forces, on Friday convicted Jenkins of fighting Russian troops from March through December 2024. He will be confined to a “strict regime penal colony.” Foreign fighters are considered mercenaries by Russia and its Russian-backed allies in eastern Ukraine, who can thus avoid protections that international law usually extends to prisoners of war.
The Australian government had consistently called on Moscow to free Jenkins, who appeared in videos distributed by Russian sources. A December video showed him being questioned and beaten, his hands tied behind his back and his face covered with dirt. In the video, Jenkins, speaking in English and fractured Ukrainian, gives his name and says that he is studying biology. He is hit on the head several times while he is being questioned.
Initially feared dead following his capture, Jenkins was later confirmed alive in January after a video showed him undergoing a medical check. Russian personnel could be heard joking in the background, noting his blood pressure indicated he was still alive.
The case has attracted the world’s attention and raised concern regarding the treatment of foreign fighters who are detained by Russian troops. Opponents claim that the Russian refusal to accept such persons as legitimate belligerents violates international humanitarian law and calls into question the legitimacy and equity of trials being held in occupied territory.
Jenkins’ sentencing is likely to put additional pressure on Russia-Australia diplomatic relations, which have been very supportive of Ukraine since the all-out invasion started in 2022.
