Israel denies arms shipments to Ukraine amidst speculation
The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Mykhailo Brodskyi, addressed reports concerning transfers between Jerusalem and Kyiv, which allegedly involve Russian weapons taken from Hezbollah fighters. The diplomat clearly stated that "such an initiative does not exist."
Brodskyi emphasised that Israel supports Ukraine and condemns Russian aggression against the country, but he also noted that there can be no discussion of military support for Ukraine.
Israel will not arm Ukraine
"Regarding the issue of support, Israel does not provide military support to Ukraine. For various reasons, but the main considerations are the reluctance to disturb our contacts with Russia and the reluctance to jeopardise our security, as we understand that this could lead to very serious consequences for Israel's security," Brodskyi stated in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
Speculations about the transfer of weapons to Ukraine were sparked by mysterious flights of American C-17A transport planes that were observed after a meeting between Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel and Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk. At that time, a request was reportedly made by the Ukrainian side for the transfer of Soviet and Russian weapons seized by Israel from its enemies to Ukraine.
Large reserves of Soviet weapons in Israel
Israel seized a significant portion of the arsenal that Hezbollah had accumulated over the years in Lebanon. As reported by The Telegraph in January of this year, about 60% of the weapons confiscated by Israel were produced by the USSR and Russia. From the perspective of Ukrainians familiar with this type of equipment, the transfer of equipment seized from Hezbollah could be a tangible aid.
It has often been emphasised that the Israeli Defence Forces were surprised by the extensive arsenal of Soviet and Russian weapons Hezbollah possessed.
During the intervention in southern Lebanon, it was possible to capture, among other things, modern Kornet anti-tank missiles (with a range of approximately 5 kilometres) produced around 2020, as well as various types of weapons from the Soviet era. These include RPG-29 and RPG-7 anti-tank systems, portable Igla missile systems, and rifles from the AK/AKM family.
