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Russia Sends Filipino Recruit to Ukraine After Just 10 Days of Training—He Dies Fighting in Kostiantynivka
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Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has identified another Filipino national who joined the Russian military and was subsequently killed during an assault operation near Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region in late July 2026.
According to HUR, the individual was identified as Malambahe Sabtar Sabanal, born on October 25, 1986, in the municipality of Labason on the Philippine island of Mindanao.
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Sabanal signed a one-year contract with the Russian military on June 16, 2026, in Ryazan, Russia. Ukrainian intelligence identified a Russian lieutenant, V. Romanov, as the officer responsible for processing his enlistment.
HUR noted that one-year contracts are commonly offered to foreign recruits serving in the Russian military, whom Russian commanders allegedly treat as expendable personnel.
Following his enlistment, Sabanal was sent to a military training facility, where he spent approximately one and a half weeks receiving basic firearms instruction before being deployed.
🇵🇭 DIU identified Filipino mercenary Malambahe Sabtar Sabanal, recruited by the russian army in June 2026 and killed in Donetsk Oblast just weeks later. At least three Filipino mercenaries killed fighting for russia have been identified: https://t.co/vss0ERgT0c pic.twitter.com/8f8GrE6aUW
— Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) October 15, 2026
By early July, he had been transferred to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Sabanal was killed later that month while participating in Russian assault operations near Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.
HUR said it had obtained correspondence between Sabanal and another individual serving in the Russian military, who is also believed to be a Philippine national. The messages reportedly provided details about the conditions faced by foreign recruits on the frontline.
In a message dated July 28, shortly before his death, Sabanal complained about repeated Ukrainian drone attacks and reported that a fellow serviceman had been killed.
HUR emphasized that Sabanal had joined the Russian military despite warnings from the Philippine government and restrictions under the country's legislation concerning participation in foreign armed conflicts.
The agency suggested that the prospect of financial compensation had motivated his decision to enlist in Russia's military.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, at least three Philippine nationals recruited into the Russian military have now been identified as having been killed during Russia's war against Ukraine.
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Russia is recruiting citizens from more than 40 countries to bolster its military ranks and replenish battlefield losses in its war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko told Ukrinform in an interview on September 7.
Overall, more than 28,000 foreign nationals have been identified as having signed contracts with the Russian military, with the number continuing to grow.
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-dd35be762f08867915b1187d08f5b7cb.jpg "Aftermath of a Ukrainian Neptune missile strike on a Russian Borisoglebsk airfield, October 15, 2026.")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-6b3c58bbcf8c8f2f38775f349181b1ab.jpg "Recruits, supervised by instructors, cover a distance on Day Zero of Basic Military Training at the 118th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 5, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)")