THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is verifying a report from Ukrainian military intelligence that a Filipino was killed while fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine.
This comes as Kyiv claimed that about 14 Filipinos have enlisted with the Russian army.
AFP spokesman Col. Francel Padilla said over the weekend that the military had yet to independently confirm the reported death or establish the Filipinos' alleged involvement with the Russian military.
"The AFP has taken note of the report. At this time, we have yet to establish confirmation or validation of the information,” Padilla said.
The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Directorate identified the alleged Filipino fighter as Jeric Jumadil Undol, 37, whom it said was from the Manila metropolitan area. It reported that Undol was killed during an assault near Katerynivka in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian intelligence report, published Aug. 13, said Undol obtained a Russian visa on Jan. 22 and arrived in the Moscow region on April 18.
He was then reportedly housed at the Avangard center, which Ukraine described as an institution focused on military-patriotic education.
According to the report, Undol signed a one-year contract with the Russian army on May 3 and underwent about a week of military training before being sent to the front line in mid-May.
He was reportedly killed later that month during an assault near Katerynivka, which Ukrainian intelligence described as an area at the junction of the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.
The Ukrainian agency did not provide publicly available evidence in the report that independently establishes Undol's identity, his recruitment by Russian forces or the circumstances of his reported death.
Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported the intelligence agency's account, saying Kyiv had identified Undol as a Russian mercenary from the Philippines.
The report alleged that Undol had disregarded warnings from the Philippine government and Philippine laws because of the prospect of earning money by joining the Russian war effort.
The AFP, however, has not confirmed those allegations.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency further said its “I Want to Live” project had information on about 14 Philippine citizens who allegedly signed contracts with the Russian army.
It claimed at least two Filipinos had been killed and another was being held captive.
The disclosure raises the possibility that the reported death of Undol is part of a wider recruitment of Filipinos into Russian military service, although the Philippine government has yet to publicly verify the Ukrainian intelligence figures.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence has previously publicized cases involving foreign nationals allegedly recruited by Russia to fight in the war.
-c43158eeb8145f2aa04250e28b449d03-copy-b4be2514.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
