Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Australian embassy in Moscow and the Department of Foreign Affairs are looking into claims an Australian fighter was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Speaking in Sydney this morning, Albanese called the claims "concerning".
"We're trying to ascertain the details and the facts," he said.
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"We know that the Russians often put out information that isn't right."
He said if the claims were verified, the Australian government would make "appropriate representations".
The man appears in social media posts on Telegram, where he claims to be an Australian teacher and a soldier.
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The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the captive's name had been confirmed as Oscar Jenkins, and that he was a 32-year-old Melbourne man.
He had moved to China as a lecturer in 2015.
In the footage online, English subtitles show the man being interrogated and struck by his captors while his hands are bound.
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"My name is Oscar Jenkins … 32 years old. Live in Australia and Ukraine," he says.
The government's SmarTraveller website advises Australians not to travel to Ukraine or Russia, but there are believed to be multiple citizens fighting in the ongoing war.
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