Oscar Jenkins: Bizarre YouTube rant from Aussie captured by Russians
Bizarre video of an Australian man — now believed to be captive in the hands of Russian soldiers in Ukraine — has emerged of him ranting about veganism and wanting to “force” Chinese people to be vegan.
Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins appeared in interrogation videos which have been circulating on pro-Russian social media channels.
A captive Mr Jenkins, 32, is seen in the clips being hit several times by soldiers, who ask for his name.
But a bizarre video of the former Melbourne Grammar School student a year before his capture has emerged, where he is heard ranting about his vegan lifestyle.
In the video — posted to a YouTube channel bearing Mr Jenkins’ name in August 2023 — he rants about “moments of passion” and “little experiments” he says are “f**king” with his head.
The 1.36-minute clip is simply titled: “I WILL FORCE CHINESE PEOPLE TO BE VEGAN”.
“If you’re not vegan and you’re my friend, then you’re gonna be vegan soon, or we’re gonna fight,” he is heard saying.
He continues by saying he is “still talking” to his mother but otherwise says contact is “quite limited.”
Mr Jenkins is seen in the video wearing a blue shirt calling for the banning of diary products, with Chinese characters written underneath.
“No-one’s going to f**king give me a wink and a nod,” he says while explaining he would wear his shirt outside.
“There won’t be any tables… set up with banners saying ‘Talk to me I’m a vegan.’”
He finishes by saying someone wanted him to get a “reverse vasectomy”, which he refuses.
It is unclear where Mr Jenkins shot the video.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Jenkins has worked as a lecturer at Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College in China since 2017.
His profile picture on the website features a graphic with “Vegan Ukraine” superimposed on a map of the country, bearing the phrases “righteous solider” and “destroy evil, be good”.
Those close to Mr Jenkins have expressed shock at the sudden development – including the president of the Toorak-Prahran Cricket Club in Melbourne, where he was a member.
“He’s a loved member of the cricket club. He’s a talented cricketer,” club president Neil Gumley said.
“I coached him for several years. I knew him since he was a kid.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said the Australian Embassy in Moscow was working to get details of Mr Jenkins’ detainment.
“We know that the Russians often put out information that isn’t right,” he said.
“So our embassy in Moscow is working. But in addition to that, Foreign Affairs and Trade are working here as well.”
He said his government would “make appropriate representations”.
The video of Mr Jenkins’ interrogation shows him responding to questions in broken Ukrainian, to the frustration of his interrogators.
At one point, a Russian asks him: “Do you want to live?”
Mr Jenkins replies: “I want to help Ukraine.”
It is understood he was fighting as part of the International Legion of Defence of Ukraine – which is not considered to be a mercenary group.
