Australian to stand trial in Russian-occupied Ukraine on mercenary charges
MOSCOW: An Australian man will stand trial on mercenary charges in Russian-occupied Lugansk, the eastern region's Moscow-installed authorities said on Friday, the latest foreign soldier fighting for Ukraine to appear before the court.
'The Prosecutor's Office of the Lugansk People's Republic approved the indictment in the criminal case against 33-year-old citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia Oscar Charles Augustus Jenkins,' the authorities said in a statement.
According to the investigators, Jenkins came to Ukraine in February 2024 from Melbourne and then fought against the Russian army between March and December 2024, for which he was paid around $7,000-9,000 a month.
Russia and its eastern Ukraine proxies typically consider foreigners traveling to fight in Ukraine as 'mercenaries.'
This enables them to prosecute fighters under its criminal code, rather than treating them as captured prisoners of war with protections and rights under the Geneva Convention.
Most recently British man James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, was charged with terrorism after he was caught in the Kursk region fighting on Ukraine's side.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia downplays damage from Ukraine's airbase drone attack
Russia on Wednesday said that Ukraine's brazen drone attack on nuclear-capable bombers earlier this month was 'purposefully exaggerated,' downplaying the extent of the damage in Moscow's most detailed remarks on the strikes. In a series of daring attacks deep into Russian territory, Ukraine on June 1 targeted military airbases with drones, saying it had damaged dozens of strategic bombers worth $7 billion. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow's nuclear deterrence had 'not suffered significant damage as a result of these actions.' 'The consequences of this attack by Kyiv is being consciously, deliberately, and purposefully exaggerated,' state media reported him as saying. The damaged equipment 'can and will be restored', he added. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Moscow said that some aircraft had 'caught fire', and later vowed revenge. It has called several recent missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, 'retaliation.' Ukraine said earlier that it had damaged 41 Russian aircraft -- around a third of Moscow's strategic aviation fleet. The attacks exposed Russia's air base vulnerabilities, in a massive morale boost for Kyiv after months on the back foot in the conflict. Ukrainian cities have been targeted by Russian air strikes on a near daily basis since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine.
3yon News
3 days ago
- 3yon News
الجوازات السعودية تؤكد جاهزية جميع المنافذ لإنهاء إجراءات مغادرة ضيوف الرحمن
STORY: :: A Russian air attack hit a high-rise building next to the office of the European delegation to Ukraine :: Kyiv, Ukraine :: June 10, 2025 :: Katarina Mathernova, Ambassador of European Union to Ukraine 'Last night was horrendous attack on Kyiv with multiple drones, hundreds of drones and missiles. And in fact, a building right across the street from the European Union delegation was actually severely damaged. And a car in our parking lot got damaged by debris.' Glass facade was ruined on several floors and an exterior wall was damaged on two floors. The Russian attack also damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site located in the historic centre of Kyiv, Ukrainian Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said. One person died in the attack on Kyiv, city authorities said. At least four people were treated in hospital after seven of the capital's 10 districts were hit, city officials said.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Ukraine's drone attacks temporarily halt flights in Moscow, across Russia
Ukraine's overnight drone strikes have forced a temporary suspension of flights in all airports serving Moscow and the country's second-largest city St. Petersburg, but caused no damage, Russian officials reported on Tuesday. Russian air defence units destroyed a total of 102 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry - which reports only how many were downed, not the number Ukraine launched - said on the Telegram messaging app. Nearly half of the drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, the ministry said. Three drones were downed over the Moscow region and two over the Leningrad region, of which St. Petersburg is the regional capital. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia temporarily halted flights at all four major airports serving Moscow and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport, as well as at airports in nine other cities to ensure safety, it said on Telegram. Flights in Moscow and some other cities were restored by Tuesday morning, but restrictions were still in place in St. Petersburg at 0430 GMT. Regional governors, who wrote about the attacks on Telegram, did not report any damage caused by the attacks.
