Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Israel of supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, further escalating a dispute that began when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Adolf Hitler was of Jewish descent.
Israel criticized Lavrov on Monday, saying his statement – made when he spoke of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, a Jew – was an “unforgivable” lie that downplayed the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
Leaders of several Western countries have condemned Lavrov’s comments, and Zelensky has accused Russia of forgetting the lessons of World War II.
The Russian ministry said in a statement that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s comments were “anti-historical” and “largely explain why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.”
Moscow reiterated Lavrov’s view that Zelensky’s Jewish origins did not prevent Ukraine from being ruled by neo-Nazis.
“Anti-Semitism in everyday life and in politics does not stop, on the contrary, it is nurtured (in Ukraine),” the statement said.
Lavrov made Hitler’s statement on Italian television on Sunday when asked why Russia said it should “disinfect” Ukraine if President Vladimir Zelensky himself was Jewish.
Israel has expressed support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. But careful not to damage relations with Russia, a powerful broker in neighboring Syria initially avoided direct criticism of Moscow and did not impose official sanctions on Russian oligarchs.
However, ties have become strained, with Lapid accusing Russia last month of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
(Reuters report; edited by Guy Folkonbridge and Raisa Kasolowski)
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