Russia frees 24 Filipinos after Marcos-Putin talks

Russia has released 24 Filipino citizens who had been detained for months without charges in Siberia, following discussions between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The release came after Marcos raised his concern during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia summit in Kazan.

Philippine officials stated that the 24 individuals were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two separate flights early Sunday. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Marcos in his talks with Putin, is expected to welcome the first batch. The Filipinos had reportedly been detained for about nine months in Irkutsk, with no charges filed against them.

Reports suggest the Filipinos may have been victims of illegal job recruitment and were taken into custody for potential immigration law violations. President Putin, upon being informed by Marcos, reportedly stated he was unaware of the problem but promised to investigate and resolve it, assuring Marcos that the detainees had not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The Philippines is a treaty ally of the United States and was among the majority of ASEAN members that voted to condemn Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Singapore was the only ASEAN member to impose sanctions on Russia and its Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also attended the summit.