Russia's former president and current deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Israeli arms supplies to Ukraine would destroy ties with Moscow.
“Israel appears to be getting ready to supply weapons to the Kyiv regime. A very reckless move. It would destroy all bilateral relations between our countries," he said in a statement on Telegram, accusing Ukraine of praising "Nazi" heroes.
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Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Russia's Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev
(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi, AP)
"If they are supplied with weapons then it is time for Israel to declare (Stepan) Bandera and (Roman) Shukhevych their heroes," Medvedev added, referring to Ukraine's nationalist leaders of the 1940s-1950s.
On Sunday, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai said on Twitter that due to Iran reportedly transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war "there is no longer any doubt where Israel should stand in this bloody conflict."
"The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well, just as the USA and NATO countries provide," he wrote.
On Monday morning, Russia launched a series of strikes on Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv, killing at least one and wounding three civilians, according to the city's mayor. Ukrainian officials said that the strikes that left hundreds of towns without electricity were carried out using suicide drones reportedly supplied to Russia by Iran.
Despite Tehran repeatedly denying providing Moscow with weapons intended for use in what the Kremlin dubs a special military operation in Ukraine, U.S. media reported on Sunday that Iran secretly agreed to increase its arms supplies to Russia, including more drones and ballistic missiles.