What Unites Israel and Ukraine: Shared Struggles and Existential Threats

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Let’s explore what Israel and Ukraine are fighting for, uncovering the striking similarities in their struggles and the shared threats they face. Understanding these parallels reveals not only their unique challenges but also the universal fight for survival and identity.

Israel is fighting for the right of the Jewish people to remain in their historical homeland—a return that was arduously achieved after the defeat of Judea by the Roman legions. The enemies of Israel and the Jewish people have consistently denied them this right to statehood and have sought to exclude Jews from their societies, as evidenced by the atrocities of the Middle Ages, the Holocaust, and the expulsion of Jews from Arab countries. In the eyes of these foes, the only place deemed “suitable” for the Jewish people remains Auschwitz.

The destruction of Israel would be a catastrophe for every Jew—even those who, unwittingly or otherwise, wave foreign flags at anti-Israel protests. Each of us has grown up in a world where Israel stands as a last refuge; neighboring nations again decide that we are unwanted.

Could this happen? Certainly. The world is shifting with alarming speed backward into hostility. That is why Israel’s right to exist is inseparable from our right to physical survival. And no one should accept the idea that a country openly threatening to annihilate Israel with a single nuclear bomb will ever be allowed to possess such a weapon.

At the same time, the Jews – which is both our strength and weakness – managed to develop a model of national survival beyond state borders and away from their homeland for a millennium after the Roman invasion. Meanwhile, throughout all these centuries, Ukrainians continued living on their land, preserving their traditions, and speaking their language. Although they lacked an independent state for a long time, they firmly held on to their land and language – and ultimately, in the 20th century, seized the opportunity to establish their state twice.

The enemy who seeks to destroy this state denies Ukrainians the very right to their identity and civilization. While Iran or Hamas aim to expel and kill all Jews, Russia wants to eliminate those who primarily identify as Ukrainians, intimidate, and “convert” the rest into Russians, erasing Ukrainian identity, language, and culture.

Yet despite a large diaspora, Ukrainians are far from a dispersed nation; even the diaspora has always stayed deeply connected to the actual Ukrainian land, not to a distant dream like Jerusalem for the Jews. Why should a Ukrainian dream of Kyiv, when Kyiv has been home since time immemorial?

Therefore, the mission of Ukrainians is to never lose Ukraine. To prevent the enemy, who for decades imposed a foreign language, culture, and history here, from triumphing bloodily on Ukrainian soil.

As a reminder, on June 22, Israeli forces attacked “dozens” of targets in Iran, including the first time a missile facility located in the center of the country was hit. In addition, Israel struck a drone control center and anti-aircraft missile complex facilities.

The day before, the US Air Force attacked Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including the most protected facility in Fordow. At the same time, the Donald Trump administration is preparing for a potential response from Iran in the next 48 hours. Later, the head of the Pentagon, Pete Haggett, stated that as a result of the strikes by the United States, it was possible to destroy Iran’s nuclear program .

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the actions of the Iranian regime provoked the US strikes on nuclear program facilities. The department is convinced that the US and Israel have given a clear signal to Iran that it is unacceptable to continue its policy of destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

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