The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the German Embassy in the Philippines have firmly denied claims by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that Filipino citizens are allegedly being recruited to take part in the war against Russia on Ukraine’s side.

This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications.

Zakharova claimed that an alleged recruitment scheme was operating in the Philippines through the U.S. company RMS International, which supposedly promised earnings of $5,000, training by U.S. instructors, and the issuance of Schengen visas at the German Embassy in Manila.

MFA spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the Center for Strategic Communications that these claims are groundless fabrications.

“These statements have no factual basis whatsoever and do not correspond to reality. Ukraine and the Philippines have strong, friendly, and dynamic bilateral relations based on mutual respect, trust, and commitment to international law. This was confirmed just yesterday during a telephone conversation between the Presidents of the two countries,” the MFA representative said.

The ministry emphasized that such statements are another element of Russia’s systematic disinformation campaign. Previously, the Kremlin spread similar fakes, including claims about alleged “recruitment” in South Korea. Now Russian propaganda is targeting countries in Southeast Asia.