MANILA — Russia released 24 Filipinos who had been detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, Philippine officials said. This development followed a meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan.

Philippine officials confirmed that the 24 Filipinos were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two flights early Sunday. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila indicated that Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Marcos in his talks with Putin on Wednesday in Kazan, was scheduled to welcome the first group of freed Filipinos.

President Marcos Jr. stated he raised concern over Filipinos detained for approximately nine months in Irkutsk, located in southeastern Siberia, without formal charges. Marcos Jr. said the Philippines had no other information regarding the condition of the detainees. Reports suggested the Filipinos might have been victims of illegal job recruitment and taken into custody in Russia due to potential violations of immigration laws.

President Putin told Marcos Jr. that he was not aware of the issue but promised to investigate the matter. Over dinner on Wednesday, Putin informed Marcos Jr. that the Filipinos had not been charged with any wrongdoing, Marcos said. "Don't worry, we will find a way to fix this problem," Marcos quoted Putin as saying. Russian officials later notified the Philippine delegation that the Filipinos would be deported to Manila.

Marcos Jr. holds the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Philippines is a key treaty ally of the United States in Asia. The country was among the majority of ASEAN members that voted for a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. About 15,000 Filipinos live and work across Russia.