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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
January 27, 2026 | 12:52pm
Ukrainian priests stand as mourners light flares during the funeral ceremony of Artur Vilchynskyi, a Ukrainian soldier of the "Barracuda" air reconnaissance unit who was recently killed in action in the Chernihiv region, at the National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv on November 28, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
AFP / Roman Pilipey
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines is trying to confirm reports that a Filipino was killed while fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said Tuesday, January 27, the military is checking the information with government agencies but won't rely on "third-party battlefield reports" alone.
"We have taken note of the report circulating from Ukrainian defense sources. At this point, the information is still being validated through proper channels," Padilla said.
The statement comes after a January 26 report from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence claiming it identified the body of a certain "John Patrick" — a Filipino citizen — among dead Russian soldiers in Donetsk region.
The report says Patrick was serving in Russia's 283rd Regiment when he was killed during an assault near Novoselivka village. He carried only weapons, ammunition and a paper with his unit number and commander's name.
"He didn't speak Russian," the report notes.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence says data from Patrick's devices showed he got one week of training before being sent to fight. After he was wounded, the report says he was "left to die" in a forest.
"As a matter of policy, we deal in confirmed facts — not unverified claims," the AFP spokesperson said. "Until such verification is completed, it would be premature to confirm or deny the report."
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence has warned foreigners against traveling to Russia or working there, saying Russia recruits migrants through deception or threats by using the promise of employment as a cover before sending them to fight.
The war in Ukraine has been going on for nearly three years since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced.
Ukrainian officials have said Russia is recruiting thousands of foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine, often through deception.
In November last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova alleged that a United States security company was enlisting Filipinos for Ukraine's military. She claimed recruits were getting Schengen visas from the German Embassy in Manila.
Ukraine's embassy in Manila called the allegation "baseless fabrication" and part of a Russian propaganda campaign targeting Southeast Asia. The German Embassy also denied the claims. The Palace denied it and branded it as "fake news."
