The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation demands to liquidate the representative office of the Jewish agency Sokhnut, which helps the repatriation of Jews. The corresponding lawsuit was filed with the Basmanny Court and will be considered on July 28, The Jerusalem Post reports..

Ministry of Justice claims related to “violation of Russian law”. What violations are meant is unknown..

According to official statements, the ministry conducted an audit of the organization from May 30 to June 27 and, following the results of the audit, sent a corresponding act to the organization. In mid-July, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that in order to continue working in Russia, Sokhnut needed to “eliminate all the comments that were made to them by the inspection organization”.

According to The Jerusalem Post source, the claims are not legal, but political in nature, and can only be resolved with the participation of the Israeli authorities..

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai linked the actions of the Russian authorities with the country's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“Russian Jews will not become hostages of the war in Ukraine. The attempt to punish the Jewish Agency for the Israeli position is reprehensible and insulting,” he said..

Alliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tameno-Sete said that the authorities are making diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation and expressed confidence that appropriate solutions will be found. According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli Foreign Ministry began negotiations with Russia on behalf of the Sokhnut last week.. Israeli media also report that the Israeli ambassador met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

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President of the Russian Jewish Congress Yuri Kanner said he hoped the situation would be resolved.

" In Russia, there were, let's call it a simple word, raids on this organization. In Soviet times, it was generally banned. I believe that this is a negative development of events, ”he said, emphasizing that Sokhnut is engaged in educational projects in Russia..

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia called the news about the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice "

“Even if it’s about real legal problems, the governments of Russia and Israel should develop measures to eliminate the shortcomings, and not ban the activities of the Jewish Agency in Russia,” said the representative of the federation.

The claims of the Russian authorities to " At the same time, sources in the organization claimed that we are talking about certain requirements that can complicate the work of the organization, but not about the termination of its activities..

Israeli authorities condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and expressed support for Ukraine.

At the same time, Israel did not begin to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation together with the West, as is believed due to the great influence of Russia on the situation in Syria.. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly criticized Israel for its lack of military support and obstruction of refugees..

In May, relations between Russia and Israel deteriorated after the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that Adolf Hitler had "

Vladimir Putin later apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for Lavrov's words..