Israel to deliver bulletproof vests & helmets to Ukraine amid Russian invasion

In a first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Israel has announced that it will provide protective equipment, including helmets and bulletproof vests, for Ukrainian rescue and humanitarian services as part of humanitarian aid.  “For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel will supply the Ukrainian side with helmets and body armour,” Becth newspaper reported. It added that Tel Aviv made the decision to start deliveries at the highest level and it had remained secret for several weeks.”

Israel is also expected to deliver a field hospital in Lviv

Israel will send hundreds of protective kits exclusively for rescue services and other civilian structures in Ukraine. The protective kits to Ukraine will be provided as humanitarian assistance, and Israel is also expected to deliver a field hospital in the Lviv region, supply of food and medicine as well as foster the reception of repatriates and refugees from the areas of Russian military operations into Tel Aviv. A telephone conversation was held between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his Ukrainian counterpart Alexei Reznikov on April 20 to discuss the military aid.

Gantz informed Reznikov about Israel's approval for the supply of protective helmets and body armour for civilian use, the publication reported. Israel’s defence minister's office said in a statement that the two sides discussed efforts to end the war in Ukraine, including mediation efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to broker peace between the warring nations. Since early March, Ukraine had been in long negotiations with Israel on the supply of military equipment, defence equipment and personal protection, but the two sides could not reach an agreement, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said at a special briefing, according to Vesti. 

At a briefing on foreign policy and security issues, attended by 80 ambassadors and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk had defiantly left the hall just 20 seconds after Israel's head of the Defense Ministry began his speech over their stance on the Russian invasion. "Gantz surprised me. He knows that this is not a "conflict", but a real war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine. Who, if not the Israeli Defense Minister should know this. Therefore, I left the hall in protest. This has nothing to do with our demands on Israel for the supply of protective equipment. We do not beg you. This is the decision of your government. The people of Israel support Ukraine, but, unfortunately, the government of this people decided differently," the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel had told the reporters.