Statements by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky have caused some controversy and threaten to create a diplomatic incident with the Kremlin.
Mikhail Brodsky spoke about the supply of Israeli air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and this has highlighted the issue of Ukrainian-Israeli military-technical cooperation. Russia, which monitors who and what is supplied to Kiev from third countries, has generally accepted that Israel does not supply weapons to Ukraine, limiting itself to supplies of personal protective equipment and other “little things”.
Israeli defense companies, having significantly increased exports of their military products in the period 2023-2024, seem not to refrain from transferring very modern weapons systems to the Ukrainians. Russian analysts analyzed the situation of Israeli-Ukrainian military-technical cooperation.
“In December 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense sent a message to the three Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – that if they asked to transfer Israeli-made weapons (in particular, the Spike ballistic missile) to Ukraine, their request would be rejected. Currently, Estonia and Lithuania have weapons of the Spike LR modification of the anti-aircraft ballistic missile (ATGM), while Latvia has LR, LR2, ER and SR”.
The same analysts wrote in a note: “Some experts note that such a moderate position of Israel in the conflict and its official refusal to supply weapons to Kiev not only generate political dividends, but also bring economic benefits. Thus, Jerusalem’s military exports reached $11.3 billion in 2022 and increased by 30% in 2023. However, the sources of such growth are traditionally kept secret”.
A possible explanation could be the permission granted by Tel Aviv in November 2022 to NATO members to supply Ukraine with weapons systems containing Israeli components, such as electro-optical systems and fire control systems, while simultaneously financing the purchase of unspecified “strategic materials” worth millions of dollars to help Ukraine under pressure from the US administration. Initially, this payment was transferred to “a NATO member country actively involved in the supply of military equipment to Ukraine,” which purchased the strategic materials and sent them to Ukraine. Note that Israel asked all parties to the deal not to disclose it publicly, so as not to “irritate Putin.” Apparently, the Ambassador’s words ended the secrecy and this could cause a diplomatic incident with the Kremlin. Perhaps that is why Israel was quick to deny the statements of their ambassador.
Graziella Giangiulio
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