October 16, 2023

Russia Reacts to Gaza War


Russia Reacts to Gaza War
A father carries his daughter after a missile strike by Israel on the Gaza Strip. UN Special Procedures, Twitter.

On October 12, Alya Zaripova, the spokeswoman for Russia's mission in Ramallah, Palestine, announced that 400 Russian nationals asked for evacuation from the Gaza Strip.

According to Zaripova, 550 civilians requested that Russia evacuate them from Gaza, including 110 Ukrainian, Belarussian, Kazakh, Moldovan, and Palestinian citizens. On October 10, Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Maria Zakharova announced that Russia was considering evacuation plans for citizens in combat zones in Palestinian territories. 

Over a million people from the former Soviet Union live in Israel. At least 37,000 Russians have emigrated there since the start of Russia's War on Ukraine.

When Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing over 1,300 and kidnapping 150 Israelis, most of them civilians, sixteen Russian citizens were killed. Eight are unaccounted for. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not call Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu after the attack nor express condolences for the Russian lives lost.

The Russian Diplomatic Mission has called the situation in Gaza "catastrophic." The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for a ceasefire. Putin blamed the "U.S. policy failure" for the war in the Middle East.

The Russian president responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in Ukraine has compared Israel's blockade of Gaza to the Nazi siege of Leningrad in World War II. Putin also offered to mediate between Israel and Hamas.

 

You Might Also Like

To Stay and Survive
  • August 15, 2023

To Stay and Survive

A filmmaker Elizaveta spent months riding Russia’s rails and discussing the war with fellow travelers.
Wanted for a Lullaby
  • April 05, 2023

Wanted for a Lullaby

Moscow police have threatened a known comedian with arrest after he released an anti-war song about murdered Russian soldiers.
Where Are the Actors?
  • January 24, 2023

Where Are the Actors?

The Ministry of Culture began inspecting Moscow theaters after a famous actor made an obliquely anti-war statement in an interview.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955