The Israeli authorities refused to grant Ukraine access to the Pegasus spyware due to Russian dissatisfaction. This is reported by the Guardian, the New York Times and the Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the matter (including representatives of Western intelligence, specifies the Washington Post).
«Israeli officials objected to any move that could provoke a confrontation with Russia, whose military at the time was actively helping Syria fight the uprising outside Israel's northeastern border,» writes the Washington Post.
The Guardian's interlocutors note that Israel is closely cooperating with Russia in the field of intelligence and, according to the Israeli authorities, the sale of Pegasus to Ukraine could be regarded as an «act of aggression against the Russian special services.» Negotiations between Ukraine and Israel about Pegasus took place in 2019, sources say.
The New York Times writes that in 2018 Israel provided access to Pegasus to Estonia, but after claims from the Russian authorities, it banned the country from using this system against Russian subscribers.
Trojan Pegasus. Israeli hackers crack phones of journalists and activists on behalf of governments