The Israeli ambassador to Kyiv announced on Sunday that the Jewish state would receive 20 Ukrainian soldiers wounded during the seven-month conflict with Russian forces for treatment.
“The first two will arrive in Israel today and will be treated at the Tel Hashomer hospital” near Tel Aviv, said the diplomat, who has been stationed in Kyiv since July 2021. “Treatment includes prosthetics and rehabilitation,” he added.
A medical source confirmed to AFP that two soldiers were on their way to Israel, and a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian embassy in Tel Aviv said the first patients were expected to arrive “soon”.
Israel maintains cautious relations with Russia
Following the invasion of Ukraine, Israel, which took a cautious stance, asserting privileged ties with the two countries, refrained from supplying weapons to Ukraine but sent defensive equipment, including helmets and bulletproof vests. And the Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital Center opened a field hospital in Ukraine for six weeks.
Furthermore, ties with Moscow are seen as crucial to preserving Israel’s ability to carry out airstrikes in Syria, where Moscow is present in support of the regime. Israel is targeting groups close to Iran, its number one enemy, in particular. In addition, Israel has more than a million citizens of the former Soviet Union.
Tens of thousands of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Israel, fleeing the war between the two countries since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last February.
And according to Israeli media, attempts by Russians eligible for Israeli citizenship to join the Jewish state are currently accelerating with the partial mobilization of reservists imposed Wednesday by President Vladimir Putin as part of his war against Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
