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Zakharova: I will say what Israeli politicians do not want to hear.
Russia said that there are “Israeli mercenaries” fighting against it within the Azov Brigade in Ukraine.
“I will say what the Israeli politicians, who are fueling this media campaign, often do not want to hear. But perhaps they will be interested in it. There are Israeli mercenaries now, in Ukraine, and they are fighting side by side, with Azov elements,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
And Maria, during an interview with Sputnik radio, which is loyal to the Russian government, indicated that what she says is “supported by facts and video clips.” However, it did not provide details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff denied the accusations.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry said that there are Israeli mercenaries fighting with the Nazis in Azov. Last month, 3.5 tons of drugs were confiscated in Estonia before they were smuggled to Russia. It seems that the lack of cocaine prompted the Foreign Ministry workers to switch to the drug,” Mikhailo Podolyak said in a sarcastic tweet. more influential.”
These statements deepen the differences between Russia and Israel, especially as they come days after statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in which he said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots.
picture released, AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (left) met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow at the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine to mediate between the two countries.
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Israeli government of “supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine”.
On Wednesday, the Israeli president considered that the diplomatic dispute between his country and Russia would not destroy relations between them.
Yitzhak Herzog said, in an interview published by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, that Lavrov’s statements “will not destroy the relations between the two countries, but will limit them.”
He added that he expected “(Lavrov) to withdraw his statements and apologize because it is correct and necessary that these statements be corrected.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has avoided publicly criticizing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. He also refused his country’s accession to the countries that imposed sanctions on Russia. He also rejected repeated requests from Ukraine for military support.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid had condemned Lavrov’s statements and demanded an apology for them, describing them as an “unforgivable scandal” that blamed the Jews themselves for the Holocaust.
In an interview with the Italian television program “Zona Bianca”, Lavrov said on Sunday that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had “Jewish roots.”
Lavrov made the remarks in response to a question about Russia’s claim that it is fighting for “de-Nazification” in Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is himself a Jew.
And Lavrov answered the question by saying: “What if Zelensky was a Jew?!”. He continued, “The truth does not deny the presence of Nazi elements in Ukraine. Hitler had Jewish blood,” adding that “some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry had summoned the Russian ambassador and demanded him to “clarify” Lavrov’s statements, and to issue an official apology for them.
The Israeli prime minister said at the time that “such lies are intended to blame the Jews themselves for the most heinous crimes in history, and thus free the persecutors of Jews from their responsibility.”
In recent months, Israel has attempted to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, and Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for this purpose.
But the Israeli government has faced some criticism for not taking a tough enough stance with Putin and against his decision to invade Ukraine.