Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine responded to accusations of deportation of Ukrainian citizens

Since the beginning of the year, Israel has denied entry to 5.4% of citizens of Ukraine, those who came for the purpose of illegal work received refusals, declared in his Telegram channel, the country’s ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Brodsky.

This is how he responded to the threats of his Ukrainian colleague Yevgeny Korniychuk – earlier in the day he declaredthat Kyiv can cancel the current visa-free regime with Israel in response to the deportation of Ukrainian citizens. He stated that “the Ukrainian government will not tolerate the humiliation of its citizens when entering Israel.” Korniychuk expressed the opinion that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should intervene in resolving this issue.

“According to the Department of Population and Migration of the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs, since the beginning of the year, 5.4% (about 2,500 people) of the 47,000 Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Israel in 2023 have been denied entry. in order to work illegally in Israel,” Brodsky wrote in response to accusations from the Ukrainian side.

Under a bilateral agreement, Ukrainians can stay in Israel for three months, The Times of Israel specified. Due to ongoing fighting, Jerusalem has extended three-month visas for non-Jewish refugees. According to the Ukrainian embassy, ​​in the first half of 2023, Israel deported 2,037 citizens of Ukraine against 2,705 for the whole of 2022. Earlier, Korniychuk told The Times of Israel that about 10% of Ukrainians entering the country are deported.