Ukraine Rejects Russian Claim of Israeli Mercenaries in Azov

Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol, . (AP Photo)

By Yisrael Price

YERUSHALAYIM – Ukraine has rejected a Russian claim that Israeli mercenaries are fighting against Russia in the besieged city of Mariupol, in the Azov region.

A spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry claimed on Wednesday that Israeli mercenaries were fighting alongside the far-right Azov Regiment in Ukraine.

“Israeli mercenaries are practically shoulder to shoulder with Azov militants in Ukraine,” Maria Zakharova said on the pro-Kremlin Sputnik radio channel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s senior adviser Mykhailo Podolyak responded derisively:

“In April, 3.5 tons of cocaine smuggled into Russia were seized in Estonia. It seems that the cocaine shortage has forced the Foreign Ministry to move on to something heavier,” Podolyak tweets, suggesting that Russian perceptions of reality were influenced by drugs.

Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Israel of backing “the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv,” repeating an allegation about the Zelensky government that President Vladimir Putin made earlier in the war.

The Azov Regiment has been fighting Russian occupation forces since the takeover of Crimea in 2014. The group, which reportedly has neo-Nazi elements, was absorbed into the Ukrainian armed forces after the Russian invasion in February. Besides Ukrainians, it is said to have members from a number of different countries.

The allegation about Israeli mercenaries comes after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sparked outrage by accusing that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, was acting like a Nazi, and that “Hitler had Jewish blood.”

Lavrov said during an interview with the Italian news channel Zona Bianca on Sunday that the fact that Zelensky is Jewish “does not negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood… some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews.”

Following Lavrov’s harsh comments, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov for a clarification meeting.

Andriy Yermak, a senior advisor to Zelensky, told The Times of Israel during a Zoom conversation on Tuesday that Lavrov’s remarks that Moscow is a threat to Jews everywhere and border on Holocaust denial.

“It showed again that Russia poses an existential threat not only to Ukraine, with at least 100,000 Jews, but to all Jewish people around the world,” Yermak said.

Yermak expressed the hope that such comments will “make the position of the Israeli government more pro-Ukrainian.”

Initially, Israel had tried to maintain a policy of neutrality, in view of the vulnerable Jewish populations in both Russia and Ukraine, and the need to keep up cooperation with the Russian military in Syria, which has so far agreed not to interfere with Israeli air raids there against Iranian targets.

However, Israel voted with the majority in the U.N. General Assembly to censure Russia for the invasion, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has issued his own condemnations, which have angered the Kremlin.

In recent days, Israel has, in fact, stepped up aid to Ukraine, sending helmets and flak jackets, in addition to humanitarian aid, and on Tuesday was reportedly considering an expansion of military equipment, though ruling out offensive weapons.

Stay on top of the latest news by signing up for Hamodia WhatsApp status by clicking here

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!