Ukraine Embassy begins recruiting Israelis to fight Russian invasion

The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel has begun actively recruiting people in Israel to fight against the Russian military as it faces a full-scale invasion.

“The Embassy has begun the formation of lists of volunteers who wish to participate in combat actions against the Russian aggressor,” the embassy writes in a public Facebook post in Ukrainian.

Some half-million Israelis are estimated to have Ukrainian roots, with tens of thousands having come only in the past few years, following Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea.

In the Facebook post, the embassy asks those who wish to “participate in the protection of Ukraine from the Russian military aggression” to send an email with their personal information, including any “military specialty” they may have.

Earlier this week, before the Facebook post was published, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel told The Times of Israel that his office had checked and ensured that it was legal for Israelis to volunteer for the Ukrainian military.

Carrie Keller-Lynn contributed reporting