Russia blasts Israel for nuclear safety aid to Ukraine

The Russian Foreign Ministry blasted the Jewish state on Tuesday for offering to provide Ukraine with nuclear safety assistance despite the nation's involvement in the murdering of countless Jews during the Holocaust.

“If only the ancestors of Israel’s current political elite knew that their direct descendants would sponsor a regime that glorified their executioners and Holocaust ideologists!” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote.

Russia's inflammatory statement came after Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) Dir.-Gen. Moshe Edri announced that Israel had provided assistance to safeguard Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

Most Western democracies have openly sided with Ukraine against Russia during the ongoing war. While Israel has articulated support for Ukraine, Jerusalem has also focused on maintaining its ties with Moscow due to Russia's military presence in Syria, where the Israeli Air Force regularly strikes Iranian military targets. Close Russian-Israeli coordination in Syria has so far prevented potential confrontation between the two country’s forces.

However, the IAEC chief said nuclear safety is a global priority that concerns all nations beyond politics.

“The war in Ukraine stresses the need for a global discussion on nuclear safety and security more than ever before, because, as well know, the risks associated with nuclear safety and security have no boundaries,” stated Edri.

He also urged the international community to condemn the Iranian regime's threats to attack Israeli nuclear facilities.

“The international community must condemn the repeated and explicit threats by Iran and its proxies to attack Israel’s nuclear facilities. Israel will continue to protect its facilities from these threats as required,” Edri said.

“Iran has been conducting covert nuclear activities in undeclared sites for many years. The agency has found concrete evidence of these activities, including the use of undeclared material.”

Like Ukraine and much of the West, Israel is concerned about the growing Russia-Iran military alliance which threatens nations in the Middle East region, Europe and beyond.

Israel is not only facing criticism from Russia.

Ukraine and Western powers have also condemned Israel for reportedly not providing sufficient assistance to the war-torn nation.

The Ukrainian government has specifically asked for Israeli military defense equipment, including the Iron Dome aerial defense system.

However, Russia has warned Israel against providing military assistance to Ukraine.

“We say that all countries that supply weapons [to Ukraine] should understand that we will consider these [weapons] to be legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces,” Russia's spokeswoman Zakharova warned earlier this year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskyy announced that he updated Netanyahu on the Russian strikes against Ukrainian cities, as well as the Russian-Iranian military alliance.

“Focused talks with Netanyahu on our cooperation, including in civil defense area. I informed him about Russian strikes on our cities, ports, and critical infrastructure using Iranian drones. We share concern about the increasing military cooperation between Russia and Iran,” Zelenskyy wrote.