Russia-Israel Complex Relationship
Fact-checked pages on Israel’s diplomatic, security, social and economic ties with Russia.
Category pages
- Why Soviet Support for Israel Turned to HostilityThe Soviet Union backed the 1947 partition plan and recognized Israel in 1948, then severed ties after the 1967 war. Cold War rivalry and Soviet alignment with Arab governments drove the reversal; relations resumed in October 1991.
- Russia-Israel Relations from Stalin to PutinRelations shifted from Soviet recognition in 1948 to a 24-year break, then resumed in 1991. Today, shared concerns and Russian ties with Iran, Syria and Hamas coexist with diplomatic contacts and a large Russian-speaking Israeli community.
- The Israel-Russia Deconfliction Mechanism in SyriaAfter Russia intervened in Syria in 2015, Israel and Russia established a military communication channel to reduce the risk of accidental clashes. The channel was tested by the 2018 downing of a Russian Il-20 aircraft.
- Israel, Russia, and the War in UkraineIsrael condemned Russia’s invasion at the UN and provided humanitarian aid, including a field hospital in 2023. It limited military assistance while managing Russian forces in Syria and protecting its freedom to act against Iranian threats there.
- Russian-Speaking Israelis and the Great AliyahMore than 900,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrived in Israel during the 1990s, the largest immigration wave since the 1950s. They reshaped Israeli society through their work, cultural institutions, language, and participation in public life.
- Russia’s Relations with Hamas and Islamic JihadRussia maintains political contacts with Hamas and has received its delegations in Moscow. Those contacts give the Kremlin a channel to influence regional diplomacy and present itself as a mediator; they do not establish that Russia supplies Hamas with weapons.
- Russia-Iran Military Cooperation and Israel’s SecurityIran transferred Shahed-series drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, while the two governments expanded military cooperation. Their January 2025 strategic partnership treaty calls for military-technical cooperation but creates no mutual-defense obligation.
- The Alexander Courtyard Property Dispute in JerusalemAlexander Courtyard near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre became the subject of competing claims by the Russian government and the Orthodox Palestine Society. A 2022 Jerusalem District Court decision canceled Russia’s land registration and held that the Israeli government must decide the ownership question.
- Israel-Russia Trade: What the Economic Ties IncludeIsrael and Russia maintain trade, but Russia and Ukraine account for only a small share of Israel’s overall trade. War-related sanctions and export controls complicated commerce; the evidence does not support describing the economies as deeply interdependent.