Russian Government Advises Citizens to Leave Israel Amidst the Escalation of Middle-East Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2015 (Wikimedia Commons).

84,000 Russian citizens have emigrated to Israel since February 2022 as of October 2024, fleeing the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Israel’s Law of Return has made this mass migration possible by allowing anyone who can prove they have Jewish heritage to gain Israeli citizenship. 

One year after the October 7 attacks, the war between the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Hamas rages on. The conflict spread further on October 1, 2024, as Israel entered into a conflict with Hezbollah, striking regions of Lebanon and Southwest Syria. Obviously, Israel has not proven to be the safe haven Russian emigres expected. 

The Russian ambassador to Israel advised Russian citizens on October 3 to flee the country as soon as possible amid escalating tensions within the region. In addition to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel and Iran have been regularly trading missile strikes, with one IDF strike coming dangerously close to a Russian airbase in Syria. 

Despite the violence, Russian emigres in Israel are “not even considering going back,” as they fear the repercussions of returning to their home country. Many of these Russian emigres fled to evade political persecution, and to go back now would be to risk imprisonment. According to The Moscow Times, these citizens feel safer in Israel under constant threat of attack than in Russia, which speaks to the current political climate within the country. 

The Russian foreign minister, Maria Zakharova, has called the current situation in the Middle East “a complete failure by the Biden administration.” The United States staunchly backs Israel while Russia and Iran are closely linked militarily as the Russian military relies on Iranian weapons for their offensive in Ukraine. At the same time, Hezbollah is heavily backed by the Iranian government, indirectly linking the three entities together. However, the current situation can not be fully described as a proxy war, as there is some blurring of the lines. 
According to Al Jazeera, Russia and Israel have reached a tacit agreement in recent years: Russia lets Israel strike Hezbollah bases in Syria so long as Israel does not send military aid to Ukraine. Additionally, Russia has used its standing with Iran to convince Hezbollah to retreat from the Northern Israeli border. Although Russia likely does not want an all-out war between Iran and Israel, it certainly benefits from the current chaos in the region, as it distracts NATO attention and support from Ukraine. While Russia may benefit from chaos in the Middle East, its citizens living in Israel do not, living under the constant threat of an attack from forces supported by their home government.