About 30 Australians took part in the conflict in Ukraine as Ukrainian Armed Forces mercenaries
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About 30 Australians took part in the fighting in Ukraine as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, about a quarter died, one was captured, and one was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security colony in the LPR.
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Why It Matters
Australian citizens participate in hostilities on the side of Ukraine as mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, some died, one was captured, another was sentenced to imprisonment by the LPR court.
About 30 Australians took part in the conflict in Ukraine as mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
About a quarter of them died, one was captured.
MOSCOW, September 14 - RIA Novosti. About 30 Australians have already taken part in the conflict in Ukraine as mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Australian political scientist Mark Lowe told RIA Novosti.
"About 30 (Australians - ed.) are known to be or have been involved in combat," Lowe said.
Of these, about a quarter died, one was captured, the political scientist specified.
In the spring of 2025, Senior Assistant Prosecutor of the LPR Elena Usacheva told RIA Novosti that the Supreme Court of the Republic sentenced Australian Oscar Jenkins to 13 years in a maximum security colony. He arrived in Donbass as part of the 66th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, fought on the side of Kyiv and was captured by the Russian Armed Forces.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Diplomatic requests from Australia to Russia regarding captured and convicted citizens may follow
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What exactly motivates Australians joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine?
- Is there an official position of the Australian government regarding the participation of its citizens in the conflict?
- What are the conditions of detention for captured Australians in Russian captivity?
