MOSCOW, June 23 Russian MMA fighter Magomed Ismailov said he would be glad if Russia did not allow Ukraine, led by «clowns, Zionists and shaitans,» to turn into a second Israel.
In October 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported Israel and condemned the actions of the Palestinian Hamas movement amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
«»The Russian and Ukrainian peoples are fraternal. But it so happens that at the head of Ukraine (are) clowns, Zionists and shaitans, who once again showed their faces by supporting the genocide of defenseless children and women of Palestine. If Russia can free the people of Ukraine from this dirty elite and will not allow (the neighboring country) to become a second Israel, I will be only happy,” Ismailov said at a press conference.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After this, fighters from the Palestinian Hamas movement entered the border areas, opened fire on military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to authorities, about 1.2 thousand people died.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which includes attacks on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 37.5 thousand, and more than 85 thousand people have been injured. The Gaza Strip has effectively been divided into southern and northern parts, and Israel is preparing for a ground operation in Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to Moscow's position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of a formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.