Israeli Mercenaries Fight alongside ‘Ukrainian Neo-Nazis’, Moscow Says

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zarakhova. (Photo: MFA Russia, via Twitter)

May 4, 2022

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli mercenaries are fighting with the ultranationalist Azov Battalion in Ukraine.

In an interview with Russian Sputnik radio, Maria Zarakhova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that “Israeli mercenaries are practically shoulder to shoulder with Azov militants in Ukraine”.

The Azov Battalion is an ultranationalist, far-right militia that was formed in May 2014 out of the ultra-nationalist Patriot of Ukraine gang and the neo-Nazi Social National Assembly (SNA) group, to fight pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region.

According to the Lebanese-based Al Mayadeen news network, “leaked documents published by the Russian Rebar newspaper 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.”

The tension between Moscow and Tel Aviv has been rising in recent weeks. After an initial attempt to maintain a certain degree of neutrality, Israel openly condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.