FACT CHECK: Philippines has not received a warship from Russia

The claim: Russia has gifted the Philippine Army a warship, which is now in Mindanao. The title of the video states, “REGALO NG RUSSIA NASA MINDANAO NA! (RUSSIA’S GIFT IS ALREADY IN MINDANAO!)”

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim was posted by an account with 295,000 subscribers and has had 76,257 views as of writing. 

Not a Russian ship: A reverse image search shows that the ship shown in the video is the SAS Mendi (F148), one of four Valour-class warships built for the South African Navy. According to Military Factory, the vessel was first launched on June 28, 2002.

After successfully completing the necessary sea tests, the SAS Mendi was formally commissioned with the South African Navy on March 20, 2007. As of 2023, the warship is still operational.

No official news: As of writing, there have been no official reports of the Philippine Army receiving free warships from the Russian government. Furthermore, the Russian embassy in the Philippines has not made an announcement regarding the supposed donations on its official Facebook page. Likewise, the Philippine Army has not made an announcement on its website.

Earlier this month, Rappler fact checked a similar claim wherein Moscow allegedly gave a warship to the Philippines. In this fact check, the supposed Russian ship was actually an Indonesian vessel. – Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com

Katarina Ruflo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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