A former Israeli army officer is playing a leading role in the anti-government protests in Ukraine, PressTV has reported.
According to reports, the unnamed Israeli is commanding a group of 20 Ukrainian militants while four other Israelis, who had also previously served in the army, are reported to have taken part in opposition rallies in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.
The Israelis were born in Ukraine but migrated to Israel and joined its armed forces before returning to the European country for the demonstrations.
Ukrainian media has also said that an Israeli tycoon provides financial support to the opposition in Ukraine, adding that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency is one of the instigators of the unrest in the country.
Despite calls by Jewish leaders to remain neutral, young Jews have been on the front lines of protests against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, the Jerusalem Post wrote last December.
Alexandra Oleynikova, a young Jewish activist involved in organizing Limmud conferences, told the Post that while some Jews stayed away out of fear, other young Ukrainian Jews who work for international organizations such as JDC, Hillel and Limmud are “really active” in offering support as well as “organizing the barricades”.
According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA): “A number of young Jews are involved in the protests, which have drawn together a diverse coalition of liberal youth and opposition party leaders, including members of the ultranationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party, whose leader, Oleh Tyahnybok, has freely trafficked anti-Semitic stereotypes”.
