The co-chairs of the Israel-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group sent a letter to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing support following the destruction of a significant portion of the Kakhovka Dam on Tuesday.
“This deliberate act of Russian aggression, flooding towns and forcing thousands to flee, should be condemned by the international community in the strongest terms,” wrote Knesset members Yuli Edelstein of Likud and Ze’ev Elkin of the opposition National Unity Party.
Kyiv and NATO blame Russia for the damage to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in an area of Ukraine controlled by Moscow that resulted in extensive flooding, while Russia has blamed Ukraine for the dam failure. The United States said that it is “not certain” who is to blame for the damage.
At least eight people died in the flooding.
“The State of Israel is prepared to provide whatever support is necessary to assist with the recovery and restoration efforts,” Edelstein and Elkin wrote in the letter. “The State of Israel and the Knesset stand with you and the people of Ukraine at this difficult time.”
The two Ukrainian-born MKs met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv in February, issuing a strong statement in support of Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein and Chairman of the National Unity party, Ze'ev Elkin, met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. pic.twitter.com/uP5Ah1l4Q9
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 21, 2023
Meanwhile, Israeli forces are training their Ukrainian counterparts to deploy the Red Color (“Tzeva Adom”) early-warning alert system, according to Ukrainian media reports.
The system is designed to detect incoming missiles and drones, and track their trajectories, so that sirens can be sounded in locations under threat.
