Russia’s chilling warning sharpens the stakes with “Israel”
6 Min Read
Tensions are on the rise between "Tel Aviv" and Moscow amid possible Israeli plans to boost Kiev's arsenal.
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An Israeli soldier kisses his Merkava tank in occupied Palestine (AFP)
Russia's Ambassador to "Israel", Anatoly Viktorov, threatened the occupation not to provide weapons to Ukraine amid Israeli calls to arm Kiev, just as NATO and the US are doing.
During an interview with Israeli KAN news on Thursday, Viktorov tersely stated that Russia will regard this as "unfriendly".
"We have been working together for the past decades to achieve a good relationship, but any step that does not take cooperation into account could destroy the relationship. If Israel supplies Ukraine with weapons it will be considered by the Russian government as an unfriendly act," said Viktorov.
This comes shortly after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned "Israel" against providing weapons to Ukraine, stressing that any move to boost Kiev's arsenal will severely damage bilateral relations.
The big picture
In a Tweet posted on his personal account, the Israeli occupation's so-called Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Nachman Shai, called on "Israel" to arm Ukraine, as NATO and the US are doing.
Shai was the IOF spokesperson during the Gulf War in 1991, and was labeled by Israeli occupation media as the IOF's "most trusted voice during the Gulf War."
"This morning it was reported that Iran is transferring ballistic missiles to Russia. There is no longer any doubt where Israel should stand in this bloody conflict. The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well, just as the USA and NATO countries provide," he said.
However, despite attempting to portray this "unique" proposal as new, the Israeli occupation Minister failed to mention "Israel's" already established direct and indirect involvement in supporting Kiev against Russia.
Earlier in October, a senior Israeli official told The New York Times that the Israeli occupation was providing Ukraine with intelligence about Iranian drones allegedly used by the Russian forces, revealing that a private Israeli firm was supplying Kiev with satellite imagery of the positions of the Russian troops.
On the other hand, back in September, according to a Ukrainian media report, an Israeli arms manufacturing company decided to supply Kiev with air defense systems to counter what the US alleges are Iranian-manufactured drones.
Read more: Iron Dome; "Israel's" crushed pride
During the same period, Israeli media reported that Israeli security industry companies had supplied the Ukrainian army with anti-drone systems, capable of intercepting and jamming the action of combat drones.
Tensions soared between "Tel Aviv" and Moscow, prompting the latter to close the "Jewish Agency for 'Israel's'" work in Russia, giving rise to further tensions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, against the background of a statement by Yair Lapid when he was foreign minister of the occupation last April, in which he condemned Russia's practices in Ukraine, describing them as "war crimes".
Read more: Ukraine ambassador to 'Israel' 'sympathizes' with occupation
Moscow stated the Israeli occupation is supporting "the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev," as Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that "Israeli" mercenaries are fighting alongside extremist nationalists in Ukraine.
Israelis are now fighting in #Ukraine. The viral footage showed Israelis in Ukrainian military uniform thanking "Israel" for its support, despite #Zelensky's recent comments about "Israel's" lack of support to #Kiev. pic.twitter.com/3PKjfs02NX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 26, 2022
Leaked documents published by the Russian Rybar telegram channel revealed a list of mercenaries fighting in Ukraine as part of the so-called "International Legion," which included 45 nationalities, most notably from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and "Israel", as well as other European countries.
Read more: New data on foreign mercenaries in Ukraine published by Russia
“It's time we arm Ukraine”
The Israeli occupation's ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, said in early October that "Tel Aviv" is ready to help Kiev against Russia in the ongoing war, but without crossing the "red lines" that could undermine "Israel's" security,
"Israel is actively helping Ukraine, but without crossing the 'red lines.' These 'red lines' are connected with a very difficult situation in the Middle East. Israel is, in fact, sitting on top of a powder keg. Israel needs to act very carefully and take into account, first of all, the interests of its own security," Brodsky said.
Ukraine could become a 'big Israel'
The Atlantic Council, a NATO-backed think tank, is openly proposing that Ukraine embody a more enhanced version of the Israeli political model, based on hyper-militarization, intelligence superiority, and technological innovation.
The paper, titled "Zelensky wants Ukraine to be ‘a big Israel.’ Here’s a road map.," was published in early April and is written by Daniel Shapiro, former US ambassador to “Israel,” who has worked for Israeli intelligence and enjoys close ties with Israeli think tanks. Shapiro is currently an Israeli spy-tech consultant.
This suggestion was not born from a vacuum. Within the same timeframe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky divulged to reporters that in the future, he’d like Ukraine to be “a big Israel,” after which NATO released the article which roughly explains how the model could be executed.
"Israel" sending mercenaries to Ukraine and providing weapons
Last April, videos shared on social media Sunday appeared to show several Israelis fighting alongside Ukrainian forces and thanking “Israel” for its assistance, according to Israeli media.
The videos, which went viral, showed the men dressed in Ukrainian military uniforms in an unspecified forested area. The video was most likely shot over the last week as the fighters expressed gratitude to Ukraine's chief rabbi for providing them with kosher food for the week-long Passover holiday.
Hundreds of Israelis are thought to have traveled to Ukraine to join volunteer units following the war in Ukraine, but the exact numbers are unknown.
In addition to the substantial evidence of "Israel's" involvement in the war in Ukraine in favor of Kiev against Russia, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported last March that a secret Israeli training unit of elite graduates is training Ukrainians to fight the Russian army.
The trainers are "reserve officers in the Israeli army and graduates of the General Staff unit Sayeret Matkal," considered one of the army's most important special military units, according to the article.
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior Israeli source in the security establishment as saying, "I understand that there is a need for these exercises, and of course, we are all united in our support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. We know and we turn a blind eye."
