Australian POW Undergoes Health Check Amid Russian Captivity and Misinformation Concerns

In a recently released one‐and‐a‐half-minute video, Australian prisoner Oscar Jenkins is shown sitting before a Russian flag as military personnel conduct a blood pressure test. Throughout the recording, one of the examiners humorously remarks that if Jenkins were dead, his blood pressure would register as zero. Despite the cuff showing a normal reading, a subsequent attempt to record his oxygen saturation fails due to his cold fingers, underscoring his frail condition. This video follows an earlier interrogation in which Jenkins described multiple health issues and expressed a desire for more freedom.

The footage, which has been analyzed by ABC NEWS Verify, appears to have been uploaded by accounts linked to a controversial username, Chan Han Choi—a figure associated with past legal issues involving sanctions on North Korea. Although there were earlier reports that Jenkins had been killed during combat in Ukraine, the video's depiction of his weakened state has raised doubts and intensified discussions about both his current condition and the reliability of such disseminated information.

Australian officials, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong and opposition leaders, have voiced deep concerns not only for Jenkins' welfare but also about the overall treatment of prisoners of war under international conventions. Their statements emphasize that, irrespective of ongoing disinformation campaigns, the proper protocols for handling captive soldiers must be observed. Detailed verification processes, including examination of video metadata and visual comparisons with known images of Jenkins, bolster the evidence that the materials showing him alive are authentic despite the surrounding propaganda efforts.