Vladimir Putin’s attempted overthrow of Ukraine has resulted in close to 12,000 Israelis deciding to flee the country; Well over 1,000 Israelis remain in the country – some of which either cannot leave for legal reasons or do not want to leave.
Amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbor to the west, Ukraine, thousands of Israelis living in Ukraine are fleeing the country searching for safety. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, approximately 11,000 Israelis have left Ukraine over the last month, with nearly 1,500 remaining in the country – some of which cannot leave due to legal reasons and others who simply don’t want to leave.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, which has resulted in the deaths of anywhere from 4,000-6,000 Russian soldiers so far. Furthermore, thousands of Ukrainian and ally fighters have been killed along with hundreds of civilians.
Just one week ago, Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked stated, “We think tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of immigrants will arrive from Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet states.”
Approximately 15,000 Israelis living in Russia have also applied to immigrate to Israel over the last few days. According to at least one source, up to 600,000 Russians qualify for the Law of Return.
