DFA: No Filipino in Russia seeking repatriation yet

No Filipino in Russia has yet to seek repatriation following the short-lived uprising by a private mercenary group, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

“So far, wala pa pong humihingi sa mga kababayan natin sa Russia… ng repatriation. Hindi po ito nung nakaraang buwan sa Sudan kung saan talagang halos lahat ng mga kababayan natin sa Sudan ay biglang humingi ng repatriation,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Raymund Cortes said in a televised public briefing.

“Maski wala pang humihingi ng repatriation at this moment, nakahanda po ang ating embassy through the contingency plans nila just to make sure na if and when na kailangan magpauwi ng mga kababayan natin handa po tayo both financially, logistically and of course, mentally,” he added.

Currently, Cortes said there are around 11 Filipinos who were stationed in Rostov-on-Don located close to the Ukraine-Russia border while another 10,000 are in different parts of Russia.

The Embassy over the weekend asked Filipinos in Russia to remain vigilant and take precautions, and warned them against putting out political opinions on social media.

The head of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin went into exile in Belarus on Tuesday following the aborted rebellion, as NATO warned it was ready to defend against "Moscow or Minsk."

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked his regular troops for averting a civil war, as Moscow announced preparations to disarm Wagner fighters.—LDF, GMA Integrated News