A year into Russia’s war, Ukrainian ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk calls for Israeli weapons and moral support
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk tells us: “We could finish the war in a few months, but we’ll need your air defense systems.”
In a conversation with Mishpacha, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel talks about his personal surprise at the Russian invasion and about his country’s determination to persevere even in the face of nuclear Armageddon. He promises that worshippers in Uman will be welcome this Rosh Hashanah as well, and suggests that the end of the war doesn’t mean the fall of the Putin regime.
On the first anniversary of the invasion, Ambassador Korniychuk expresses optimism about the progress of the war, alongside disappointment at Israel’s relatively neutral stance, due to its fears for the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of action in Syria and Iran.
“We still see Israel as a friend,” said Korniychuk. “The visits by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Yuli Edelstein, and Ze’ev Elkin were highly appreciated, but Ukraine expects more. The president made it clear to the delegations that we need the Israeli government to change its policy and start sending us defensive aid, at the very least.”
Ukraine hasn’t been shy about its hopes that Israel will supply it with Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems for short- and medium-range missile defense, a move that would take the sting out of the Russian missile and UAV attacks terrorizing Ukrainian cities. Israel fears that providing defense systems will destroy its ties with the Kremlin, and create a problem for its pilots operating in Russian-controlled airspaces — as well as for Jews living in Russia. In addition, Israel needs its limited supply of interceptor missiles for the event of war with Hamas or Hezbollah.
“We understand that at the moment, Israel’s stockpiles are limited,” said the ambassador. “But unfortunately, this war isn’t going to end tomorrow. We’re thinking about the long term, and if we can come to an agreement that will see us receiving Israeli air defense equipment in three, six, or nine months — that’s also fine with us.”
Korniychuk echoes the mantra used by Ukrainian diplomats across the world in recent months. “Israel needs to be on the right side of history.”
What are your insights after a year of war in Ukraine?
First, it can be stated emphatically that Western intelligence failed to correctly assess the resilience of the Ukrainian public. In addition, the Ukrainian army has significantly improved its capabilities since 2014, when Russia occupied the Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula.
I myself was surprised in two ways. First, I didn’t think there would be an invasion, because I didn’t see how the Russians could think that 160,000 soldiers would be enough to conquer a nation of 40 million people. But when the invasion materialized, and it became clear that the Russians wanted war, I was pleasantly surprised by the Ukrainian army’s performance, not folding as widely predicted but very quickly finding its footing and rebuffing the invader.
In retrospect, we know that the [Russian] “Kiev offensive” was not a military operation so much as a parade. The Russians made the mistake of believing their own propaganda about how the Ukrainians would greet the Russian army with flowers. This was a point that many failed to appreciate at the time. The Kremlin was planning for a parade, not a war.
There have been reports recently that Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett’s intervention in the early stages of the war may have saved Zelensky’s life.
It’s important to remember that the early stages of the war were extremely chaotic. No one knew what exactly was happening, what Putin was planning, and how Ukraine would react. Western intelligence expected Ukraine to collapse within a week. Under those circumstances, people intervened in ways they thought might be helpful.
