Russia: Israeli ‘Mercenaries’ Fighting in Ukraine

“Israeli mercenaries are practically shoulder to shoulder with Azov militants in Ukraine,” Maria Zakharova told Sputnik radio in an interview.

By suggesting that Israelis are fighting alongside Azov - viewed by Russia as “fascists” and “Nazis” - Moscow is compounding tensions that started after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated Sunday that Hitler had “Jewish blood".

His remarks sparked outrage in Israel, which called the statement “unforgivable and outrageous” and a “terrible historical error".

The Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Israel of backing “the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv”.

Within days of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the government in Kiev promised visa-free entry for foreigners willing to take up arms against Moscow’s forces. Potential recruits visited Ukrainian embassies across the West and signed up to fight – often with the blessing of their own governments – and made their way to the battlefield.

Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.