MANILA: The Philippines is probing the possible illegal recruitment of its nationals in Russia, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Wednesday, after the Ukrainian military’s report on the killing of a Filipino mercenary.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the military intelligence agency of the Ukrainian government, said in a statement on Oct. 15 that a Philippine national was killed during fighting in the Donetsk region.
A 39-year-old from Labason, Zamboanga del Norte, was, according to the report, recruited by the Russian army in June 2026 and killed a month later.
“As of today, at least three eliminated (R)ussian mercenaries who were Philippine citizens have been identified,” the DI Ukraine said.
While the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it was seeking official confirmation of the report, it has since triggered discussions in the Philippines over the presence of its nationals in the Russian forces.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told reporters in Manila that the DMW was probing the case with the DFA.
“We’re working closely also with DOJ–IACAT (Department of Justice–Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking) to put a stop to this. There are indeed illegal recruitment activities along these lines,” he said.
“There’s an ongoing operation in this regard.”
Last month, the Bureau of Immigration intercepted four Filipino passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who were traveling to Thailand and Vietnam. Upon questioning, they said their final destination was Russia.
Some were recruited through a Facebook post to work as “security personnel for a promised monthly salary of P70,000 ($1,100),” the BI said in a statement.
Another one, according to the statement, “claimed that he was promised a monthly salary of P150,000 ($2,300), citizenship after one year, and additional bonuses for completing a special mission.”
The men were assessed as potential victims of human trafficking and were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.