Filipino allegedly fighting for Russia captured by Ukraine forces

A Filipino from Alcala, Pangasinan who allegedly fought for Russia is now a prisoner of war in Ukraine.

According to Chino Gaston’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, a video of Raymon Santos Gumangan was posted on the “I Want to Live” Facebook page, a Ukrainian government project, on December 8.

The Facebook post claimed that Gumangan was a mercenary recruited by Russians for a high-paying job in their country.

In the video, Gumangan said he was recruited for a logistics role, but was assigned a different job upon arriving in Russia.

In 2024, he signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, becoming a shooter in the 51st Parachute Regiment.

In September of that year, Gumangan was allegedly involved in attacks in the Sumy region of Ukraine, where he was later captured.

Gumangan’s family received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about his capture. Ronie, Gumangan’s brother, said his brother is unrecognizable as he lost a lot of weight.

Gumangan’s family said he formerly worked in a security agency in the Philippines and applied for work online as logistics personnel.

Raymark, Gumangan’s son, said a foreigner helped his father secure the job in Russia. At first, Gumangan was able to update his family about his condition in Russia.

In a message to GMA Integrated News, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Gumangan is not in their database. Gumangan is also not in the database of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The DMW is now coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to find out how Gumangan left the country and how he can be repatriated to the Philippines.

Last week, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported that a Filipino mercenary was killed in a clash between Russia and Ukraine. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/JMA, GMA Integrated News