Ukraine says it is fighting the ‘same axis of evil’ facing Israel

Ukrainian ambassador calls for greater cooperation with Israel, declaring the two countries are fighting different fronts of the same Russia-Iran bloc.

By World Israel News Staff

Ukraine and Israel are increasingly confronting different fronts of the same Russia-Iran alliance, Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel said last week, arguing that the two nations have more reason than ever to deepen their security cooperation.

Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk, speaking ahead of Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, compared Kyiv’s struggle against Russia with Israel’s conflicts with Iran and its regional proxies, describing both as fights for national survival.

Korniychuk said Ukrainians increasingly feel that their country and Israel are battling the “same axis of evil,” pointing in particular to Russia’s extensive use of Iranian-designed attack drones in its war against Ukraine.

The ambassador said the growing military relationship between Moscow and Tehran has further blurred the distinction between the threats facing the two countries.

Ukraine has repeatedly been attacked with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, while Russia has expanded domestic production and modification of the weapons. Iran and its proxies have meanwhile used similar unmanned systems against Israel and other targets across the Middle East.

Korniychuk said Ukrainians therefore see themselves and Israelis as facing the “same enemy in different corners of the same battlefield.”

His remarks come as relations between Kyiv and Jerusalem have gradually expanded despite years of Ukrainian frustration over what it viewed as Israel’s initially cautious approach toward Russia, as well as Kyiv voting in favor of anti-Israel measures in the United Nations General Assembly.

Earlier this year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar discussed strengthening bilateral ties and maintaining a strategic dialogue between the two countries.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said at the time that Kyiv was prepared to cooperate with Israel in confronting “common security challenges,” including threats connected to Iran.

Korniychuk said another round of that strategic dialogue is expected to be held in Kyiv, with the two sides discussing threats they increasingly view as interconnected.

The ambassador has pressed that argument repeatedly in recent months.

In May, he criticized what he described as insufficient Israeli interest in Ukraine’s extensive battlefield experience combating drones, arguing that lessons learned during the war could help protect Israeli soldiers.

Korniychuk also pointed to Ukraine’s rapidly expanding ability to strike targets deep inside Russia as evidence of how the war has changed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine has dramatically increased long-range drone attacks against Russian military installations, oil refineries, fuel depots, ports and other infrastructure it says supports Moscow’s war effort.

Those attacks have begun producing visible economic consequences inside Russia.

Fuel shortages have spread across several Russian regions this summer following repeated Ukrainian strikes on refineries.

Russian authorities have restricted fuel exports, loosened some fuel standards and begun importing petroleum products, while filling stations in Moscow and elsewhere have imposed limits on gasoline purchases.

Recent Ukrainian attacks have damaged facilities hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border, including the Orsk refinery in Russia’s Orenburg region and facilities supplying the Moscow region.

Korniychuk claimed Ukraine has disabled roughly 40% of Russian refinery capacity.

The precise figure is difficult to independently verify and fluctuates as damaged facilities are repaired or struck again, but the broader disruption to Russia’s refining sector has been substantial.

Reuters reported earlier this year that Ukrainian attacks had at one point disrupted at least 40% of Russia’s oil-export capacity, while more recent strikes have helped push Russian refining activity to unusually low levels and contributed to domestic gasoline shortages.

Ukraine has also accelerated development of its own long-range weapons. Korniychuk said Kyiv has made significant progress on domestically produced cruise missiles and is working to develop ballistic missiles and improved defenses against Russian ballistic attacks.

Ukraine continues to face an acute shortage of high-end air-defense interceptors, particularly missiles for Patriot systems.

Russian ballistic and cruise missile attacks have inflicted heavy casualties in recent weeks, adding urgency to Kyiv’s appeals for additional Western air-defense weapons.

A major Russian attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on August 19 killed 17 people and wounded more than 40, according to Ukrainian officials.

Despite continuing efforts to negotiate an end to the war, Korniychuk voiced skepticism that Moscow and Kyiv could reach a durable peace settlement.

He said a “stable ceasefire is something that is very possible,” while expressing little confidence that Russia could be relied upon to uphold a permanent peace agreement.

Ukraine will mark 35 years since declaring independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991.

The ambassador also highlighted the historical ties between Ukraine and the Jewish people, including Ukraine’s significant Jewish community and the tens of thousands of Jewish pilgrims expected to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

More than 40,000 visitors are expected to travel to the Ukrainian city this year despite the continuing war and the closure of Ukrainian airspace, with many arriving by land after flying into neighboring countries.

Uman is home to the burial site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and has become one of the world’s largest annual Jewish pilgrimage destinations.

Ukraine is also preparing to mark the 85th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre in September. More than 33,000 Jews were murdered by Nazi forces and collaborators at the ravine outside Kyiv over two days in September 1941.

Korniychuk said he hopes Israel will send a senior delegation to the commemoration.

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