Israelis demand cancellation of Israeli delegation's participation in Moscow parade

Thousands of Israelis signed a petition demanding that an official Israeli delegation be prevented from attending Moscow's "victory parade" on 9 May. Public protests have elevated this issue to the level of the head of the Foreign Ministry, and the topic is widely covered in the Israeli media.

In April 2025, the community of pro-Ukrainian activists in Israel was alarmed by reports of a possible official Israeli delegation being sent to participate in the so-called "victory parade" on 9 May in Moscow. Although there was no exact confirmation of this, activists decided to take action to prevent the problem.

A petition was drawn up:

"We, citizens of Israel, express shock, shame, and deep concern at the decision of the Israeli government to send an official delegation to the 9 May events in Russia, which is waging a bloody war of extermination against Ukraine.

Israel cannot afford to be complicit in any propaganda campaign of a bloody regime that uses the memory of the victory over Nazism to justify crimes against humanity today.

The participation of the official Israeli delegation in the event initiated by Putin betrays the principles of democracy and morality, bringing disgrace to all of Israel.

We call on the Israeli government to immediately cancel its participation in the 9 May ceremony in Russia. The State of Israel, created after the Holocaust, has no right to turn a blind eye to crimes against humanity. Not on our behalf!"

This petition garnered signatures from over 5,500 Israeli citizens in one week.

Based on this petition, and given the widespread public support, the co-chairs of the nonprofit organization Israeli Friends of Ukraine, Anna Zharova and Vyacheslav Feldman, sent a letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

The letter outlined the following arguments against the participation of the Israeli delegation in the Moscow parade:

"For over three years, one of the most brutal and destructive wars of the 21st century has been unfolding before our eyes. Russia, the organizer of the ceremony [on 9 May], strikes Ukraine's civilian infrastructure daily. Innocent civilians are dying; entire cities are being destroyed, and hospitals, schools, and residential buildings are being wiped off the face of the earth.

In the last two weeks alone, 18 people have died as a result of the shelling of the city of Kryvyi Rih, including nine children. More than 60 were wounded. In the city of Sumy, 34 people were killed, and more than 100 were injured as a result of a terrorist attack."

The authors of the letter emphasize that the participation of an official Israeli delegation — or even the presence of the Israeli ambassador — at a ceremony organized by a state that systematically attacks a sovereign country evokes a profound moral rejection.

"We respect and honor the memory of those who died in World War II. Many families of immigrants from the former Soviet Union lost their relatives in that war. However, today, the symbols of 9 May no longer personify the fight against evil; rather, they have turned into a propaganda tool to justify the new war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.

Israel's official participation in such a ceremony can be perceived as support for a regime hostile to Israel — a regime that uses such measures not to preserve memory or peace, but as a tool to spread hatred, incite, and deny responsibility for its crimes. The presence alongside the delegations of North Korea and the Palestinian Authority will be a stain on the dignity of the State of Israel and its moral foundations," the letter's authors continue.

"We call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take into account the public protest and reconsider the decision to participate in the ceremony, which can become a propaganda tool in the hands of the state that unleashed the war and is accused of serious crimes against humanity," Anna Zharova and Vyacheslav Feldman emphasized in their address to the Israeli Foreign Minister.

Reports of protests by Israelis against participating in Putin's show were published in two leading Hebrew newspapers in Israel, leading to an increasing public outcry.

It is important to note that the fight against the participation of Israelis in the propaganda parade on Red Square is taking place against the backdrop of increased attention from pro-Russian agents toward activities supporting Ukraine in Israel.

Some "Russian compatriots" informed Moscow that a Ukrainian charity concert is planned in Haifa on 27 April 2025 to purchase medicines to benefit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result, on 14 April 2025, the head of the pro-Putin movement "Call of the People" Sergei Zaitsev submitted an official statement to the Investigative Committee of Russia demanding to find out "whether the Israeli organizers and participants of the concert in Haifa are sponsors of terrorism."

Actor Anatoliy Biliy, who resides in Israel, plans to read Ukrainian poems at a concert in Haifa. Consequently, the individual who submitted the denunciation to the Investigative Committee of Russia has demanded that "the actor Anatoliy Biliy be checked for the promotion of terrorist activities."

Anatoliy Biliy (Vaisman) was born in 1972 in the town of Bratslav, located in the Tulchyn district of the Vinnytsia region in Ukraine. He left Russia in protest against the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is now actively involved in pro-Ukrainian events in Israel.

Text and photo: Shimon Briman (Israel).