The man, who identified himself as Oscar Jenkins, is struck several times and questioned roughly in Russian in the video, which was circulating on the messaging service Telegram.
Nine newspapers, which broke news of the video, reported that the footage was first shared by the Russian journalist Alexander Sladkov.
In the video, Jenkins has his hands bound with what appears to be tape or plastic.
Answering in English and broken Russian, he says he is 32 years old and lives in Australia and Ukraine.
A man behind the camera appears to strike Jenkins twice in the head with a stick as he is questioned in Russian.
Guardian Australia understands federal officials are working to verify the authenticity of the video and details about the man involved.
The AFUO will support all efforts by the Australian government to assist this young man as a matter of urgency. »
