Russian authorities have handed captured Australian Oscar Jenkins a 13-year sentence for helping to defend Ukraine.
Mr Jenkins, 33, was taken prisoner by Russian troops near Makiivka, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, late last year.
In January, reports emerged the Melbourne-born teacher had been executed, but Australian officials determined he remained alive and was being held in Russia.
Despite calls from the Australian government demanding his release, Mr Jenkins was subsequently put on trial as a “mercenary” and was handed a guilty verdict on Friday night, local time.
Russian-installed prosecutors deliberately charge foreign-born combatants as mercenaries as it allows for them to be convicted under the country’s criminal code, rather than treated as prisoners of war with rights under the Geneva Convention.
In a statement, prosecutors said Mr Jenkins had taken part in “combat operations against Russian military personnel between March and December 2024” and would carry out his sentence “in a strict regime penal colony”.
They had also claimed the 33-year-old was paid a “monthly reward” of between $11,400 and $15,000.
A video of the hearing appeared to show Mr Jenkins standing within a glass cage in the courtroom, his hands behind his back, and looking fatigued and distraught.
It is not immediately clear how the sentence will impact diplomatic efforts from the Albanese government to secure the 33-year-old’s freedom.
In a statement following the announcement of charges against Mr Jenkins, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to use “whatever avenues we have at our disposal” in order to return the captured Australian home.
“We’ll continue to make representations to the reprehensible regime of Vladimir Putin on behalf of Mr Jenkins,” he said.
“We will stand up and use whatever avenues we have at our disposal to continue to make those representations.”
There have been suggestions Australia could engage in a prisoner swap to deliver Mr Jenkins to freedom, including from a pro-Kremlin influencer currently hiding in the Russian consulate.
Despite this, the government has declined to comment on the likelihood of any swap, leaving the fate of Mr Jenkins uncertain.
Skynews.com.au has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.
This is a developing story. More to come.
