MANILA — Twenty-two Filipinos who have been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine are waiting to be repatriated, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.
Of the total, four are in the western city of Lviv in Ukraine, Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, 13 are in Warsaw, Poland, while 5 are in Moldova, she added.
Arriola said six Filipinos have already returned to the country.
The DFA official confirmed in an interview on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo that the 13 in Poland are already preparing to return to the Philippines.
These Filipinos crossed the Polish border from Ukraine and were met by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.
Arriola said 181 Filipinos have fled to Lviv from the capital city Kyiv, where most of the fighting is taking place.
Some Filipinos, she added, refuse to leave the country, such as those who are married to Ukrainians.
There are also household service workers in Kyiv who say they will evacuate with their employers, Arriola said.
On Sunday (Manila time), Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country's troops would continue to fight against Russian forces.
Russia's assault is the biggest on a European state since World War II, threatening to upend the continent's post-Cold War order.
The DFA earlier said those who need repatriation assistance are advised to contact the Philippine Embassy in Poland through the following contact details:
Email: (warsaw.pe@dfa.gov.ph)
Emergency Mobile Number +48 604 357 396
Office Mobile Number +48 694 491 663
Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mobile Number +380 67 932 2588
The DFA can also be reached through its Facebook page.
— With a report from Lady Vicencio, ABS-CBN News
RELATED VIDEO