342 Filipinos repatriated amid Russia-Ukraine conflict – DFA official

Over 400 Filipinos in Ukraine have been assisted by the government, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola reported that a total of 405 Filipinos have been assisted, of which 342 were repatriated.

At least 63 Filipinos were evacuated from Ukraine.

Filipinos in Ukraine REPATRIATION UPDATE as of 23 March 2022, 4 pm: @teddyboylocsin @DFAPHL pic.twitter.com/SjAuXXAbn2

— Sarah Lou Ysmael Arriola (@slyarriola) March 23, 2022

Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Intense Russian air strikes are turning besieged Mariupol into the "ashes of a dead land," the city council said on Tuesday, as street fighting and bombardments raged in the port city.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Philippines called for an immediate halt to the hostilities and urged all parties concerned to reach a peace agreement. — VBL, GMA News