MANILA — The Philippines has imposed a total ban on the deployment of its workers to Ukraine as the country battles Russian invaders, a government official said on Monday.

Manila's foreign affairs department last week raised Alert Level 4 over Ukraine and ordered the repatriation of Filipinos, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Bernard Olalia said.

He added this prompted the POEA governing board to issue a resolution last Wednesday banning the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Ukraine.

"Wala pang papayagang umalis at magtatrabaho pupunta ng bansang Ukraine," Olalia said in a televised public briefing.

(No one will be allowed to leave for and work in Ukraine.)

"Hangga’t may kaguluhan, mananatili po ang Alert Level 4 diyan. Kaya kung magtatagal po iyong kaguluhan diyan, magtatagal din po iyong ating alert at ganoon din po iyong deployment ban sa Ukraine," added the official.

(Until there's conflict, Alert Level 4 will remain. The alert level will stay as long as the conflict rages, and the same goes for our deployment ban on Ukraine.)

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Prior to the total deployment ban, the Philippines allowed only returning workers to head to Ukraine. Only 12 OFWs were deployed to Ukraine in 2019, 4 the next year, and none in 2021, Olalia said.

Russian forces have intensified their attacks on urban areas in Ukraine more than 2 weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the country on Feb. 24.

Russia says it does not target civilians, but Ukraine has reported hundreds of deaths of non-combatants.

The UN estimates almost 2.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion, most of them to Poland, which is struggling to provide for the arrivals.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse