The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel on Wednesday protested the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the European Sambo Championships that will be held in the northern city of Haifa.
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"As a partner in the military aggression against Ukraine, Belarus is also responsible for the crimes against humanity that happened in Ukraine," a post on the Ukrainian diplomatic mission's Facebook page read
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Pro-Ukrainian protesters march against war with Russia in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
"Russia uses competition as an ideological weapon to spread propaganda and whitewash its crimes... The Ukrainian side calls on the Israeli side to take all necessary measures to cancel and boycott the tournament."
The event in Haifa, which is sponsored by Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft, will host athletes from Russia and Belarus despite international sanctions banning them from entering many European countries.
Pro-Russian representatives of the Haifa municipality refused to comment on the matter and ignored numerous appeals from Israeli pro-Ukrainian activists, including a city council member.
Another incident that ruffled some feathers in the Ukrainian embassy is the invitation of Russian cosmonaut and ardent supporter of the war Fyodor Yurchikhin to take part in a public event at a science education center in Netanya.
Yurchikhin had openly supported the Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine in the past and participated last year in the eighth-anniversary celebrations of Russia’s takeover of the Crimean Peninsula.
In a television interview, he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts against what he called “international terrorism”, maintained Crimea belongs to Russia, and defended Russia’s so-called “special military operation” to “eradicate nationalism and fascism.”
The event was ultimately canceled after protests from local activists, but they later learned that Yurchikhin was slated to meet with students from one of the city’s high schools instead.