An Australian man who was captured by Russian forces while fighting alongside Ukraine has been sentenced to 13 years in a maximum-security prison, Russian-installed prosecutors have said.
Oscar Jenkins, 33, was convicted in a Russian-controlled court in occupied eastern Ukraine of fighting in an armed conflict as a mercenary.
Mr. Jenkins, a teacher from Melbourne, was captured last December in the Luhansk region.
Prosecutors said he arrived in Ukraine in February 2024, alleging he was paid between 600,000 and 800,000 rubles (£5,504 and £7,339) a month to take part in military operations against Russian troops.
A video surfaced in December last year showing Mr. Jenkins with his hands tied, being hit in the face and questioned by Russian forces. They ask him if he is being paid to fight in Ukraine.
In January, Australia summoned the Russian ambassador over false reports that Mr. Jenkins had been killed following his capture.
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