Israel has reportedly told Russia it will need help evacuating citizens if Ukraine is invaded

Israeli citizens return to Tel Aviv from Kyiv.
(Image credit: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel is taking the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine seriously, with a senior government official telling his Russian counterpart during a Wednesday phone call that if it happens, Israel will need Moscow's help getting citizens and diplomats evacuated, Axios reports.

Two senior Israeli officials told Axios the phone call was between Alon Ushpiz, the director general of Israel's foreign ministry, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Earlier, Israel's ambassador to Moscow had a similar conversation with Bogdanov, the officials said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.