40 Filipinos Flee Kyiv Amid Russian Shelling, Invasion

Over 40 Filipinos flee the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv after the Russian military reached the outskirts of Kyiv and continued shelling of the city since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

The Filipinos headed to Lviv in the western part of Ukraine and arrived in the city safe according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement made Saturday.

They were welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Warsaw, Poland Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, who is overseeing the repatriation efforts of the country.

“The Philippine Embassy in cooperation with DFA-OUMWA, is committed to assisting the remaining Filipinos in Kyiv and in other parts of Ukraine in order to bring them out of harm’s way while there is still time,” Basinang-Ruiz said.

Lviv, around 70 kilometers away from the Poland-Ukraine border, will continue to be the main passageway for Filipinos out of the country.

Six Filipinos have so far been repatriated since the Russian invasion of Ukraine became imminent. (GFB)