In Israeli political and public life, there is a phenomenon that has existed for years and is often described as the “Russian street.” In everyday Hebrew, Russian-speaking repatriates and their descendants are often casually called “רוסים” — “Russians.” But this word can be misleading.

This article is not about all “רוסים” in Israel.

It is not about everyone who speaks Russian at home, reads Russian-language media, made aliyah from the former Soviet Union, or belongs to the broader Russian-speaking Israeli community. Many Russian-speaking Israelis are loyal citizens of Israel. Many support Ukraine, understand the danger of russian imperialism, serve in the IDF, volunteer, help Israeli society and clearly stand against dictatorship and aggression.

The problem is different.

This article is about a specific political and mental group inside that environment: admirers of Moscow, defenders of Putin, and people who continue to justify Russia even when its alliances, technologies and geopolitical interests collide directly with the security of Israel.

For many of them, any conversation about Ukraine immediately turns into a reflexive search for someone to blame in Kyiv, while Moscow is excused, softened, or hidden behind the old familiar phrase: “but our boys are there.”

For Israel, this is no longer somebody else’s war.

It is a question of national security.

Not “רוסים” as a Community, but Admirers of Moscow

This distinction is essential for an Israeli audience.

In Israel, the Hebrew word “רוסים” is often used broadly and imprecisely. It may refer to Jewish repatriates from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. It may refer to people who made aliyah in the 1990s, to their children who grew up in Israel, or simply to Israelis who speak Russian.

But this article is not about them as a whole.

To put all Russian-speaking Israelis into one political box would be unfair and false. Russian-speaking Israel includes soldiers, doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, artists, volunteers, activists, bereaved families, reservists and citizens who are fully part of Israeli society. Some were born in Ukraine. Some fled Russian imperialism. Some lost relatives to Soviet repression. Some have been among the clearest voices in Israel against Putin’s war.

The problem begins where language turns into loyalty to the Kremlin.

It begins when a person living in Israel continues to repeat........

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