The people of Ukraine are watching the attacks on Israel with concern and compassion. Also because they see parallels to their own situation. What does this mean for attention to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine?
At the weekend, the first people killed in the Russian rocket attack on the village in the Kharkiv region were buried in Hrosa. At least 52 people attending a memorial service died last Friday, including the entire family of the fallen soldier for whom the memorial service was being held.
Russia’s attacks continued in Ukraine over the weekend. Among other things, there was Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson. According to regional authorities and the military administration, there were two dead and at least 18 injured – including two little girls and a baby. Kostiantinivka in the Donetsk region was also shelled.
Solidarity with Israel
In Ukraine, the situation in Israel is being closely followed and reactions to the Hamas attacks are compassionate. The people in Ukraine understand the people in Israel, because there, too, it is about the deaths of civilians and rocket attacks, said President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the event of such a terrorist attack, everyone who values life should show solidarity.
We in Ukraine are particularly aware of what happened. Thousands of rockets in Israel’s sky, people killed in the streets, cars with civilians blown up, hostages mistreated. Unfortunately, terror has brought all of this to the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages.”
Two dead from Ukraine and worried Embassy inquiries
According to Ukrainian data from the end of August, almost six million people have left the country since the major Russian attack. Most remained in Europe; around 15,000 are in Israel, according to the Jewish Agency.
Zelensky confirmed reports that two women from Ukraine were killed in Israel. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, information about the possible death of another Ukrainian citizen in the Gaza Strip is being examined. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Facebook that an injured Ukrainian boy had been taken from the Israeli town of Sderot near the Gaza Strip.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel and all diplomats responsible for the region would work around the clock with the intelligence services to provide support to all people in need of assistance. There have already been more than 100 inquiries to the Ukrainian embassy, said Zelensky.
He appealed to Ukrainians in Israel to follow the instructions of the security authorities. The world knows exactly which terrorist sponsors could have instigated and enabled the Hamas attacks, said Zelensky.
“Attack on the democratic world”
Russia and Iran have good relations. Both countries maintain contacts with Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA, the EU and Israel. These include the deadly Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia is using to invade Ukraine.
Is the situation surrounding Israel now pushing the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine into the background? Will this make it even more difficult to get reliable Western military aid? This was discussed in the Ukrainian media over the weekend. The wave of attention will keep the war in Ukraine off the front pages, if it still occurs at all, said the Ukrainske Radio host. Journalist Taras Semenyuk saw it as completely normal for the moment. The war in Israel would not distract from Russia’s war against Ukraine, said Semenyuk.
“Israel and Ukraine are democratic countries and accordingly an attack on them is an attack on the democratic world,” he says. “It’s obviously simply an opportunity to open a second front against democracy.”
“Hamas and Russia are committing genocide”
Hamas’ attack on Israel is very similar to the beginning of the major Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, said Kiev military expert Oleg Zhdanov, analyzing the situation in the Middle East. The surprise factor worked 100 percent and the Israeli army was unfortunately not prepared for it. Hamas is doing the same thing as the Russian troops in Ukraine.
“They commit genocide and show extreme brutality, and it is broadcast on the Internet as much as possible to intimidate the people of Israel. Hamas shoots cars as they pass by, they kill women and children and everything is filmed,” says Zhdanov.
Ukrainian Army released Solidarity video
The American Institute for War Studies wrote that Russia would exploit the Hamas attacks on Israel for its own war of aggression and accuse Western countries of failing in the Middle East. All of this will also concern the NATO defense ministers at their two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.
It is also about further military support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian army released a short video in which Ukrainian soldiers expressed their solidarity with Israel. Among other things, it says that the international community must stand together against crimes against humanity – both in Israel and in Ukraine.