Manila: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is verifying reports of a Filipino national said to have died on the front lines fighting for Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war.

According to Philippines News Agency, Ukraine's Military Intelligence reported on Monday that a Filipino national, identified as John Patrick, was killed fighting with Russian forces in Kramatorsk District in the Donetsk region. The agency, in a statement posted on Telegram, said the man had served in Russia's 9th Battalion, 283rd Regiment, 144th Motorized Rifle Division in the 20th Combined Arms Army of the Russian military.

It said the Filipino national, like many foreign fighters, was killed during what it described as a 'meat assault' or attacks on Ukrainian positions with high casualty rates. Ukraine and Russia have been at war since the latter launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, sparking Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously reported that Russia has since occupied 20 percent of Ukraine's territory.