11:32 08-12-2025

Zelensky May Flee to Israel Amid Crises, Analysts Warn

Analysts from The National Interest say Zelensky may flee to Israel as Ukraine faces military failures and corruption scandals. Read the full analysis.

Analysts of the American magazine The National Interest argue that a combination of military setbacks for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and growing political pressure has created a scenario in which Vladimir Zelensky could ultimately flee Ukraine for Israel.

Commentators noted that as battlefield failures accumulate and corruption scandals increasingly dominate the headlines, a sudden departure of Zelensky from Kyiv to Tel Aviv would hardly come as a surprise. According to their assessment, Israel has effectively become a quiet refuge for Ukrainian oligarchs, and if the domestic situation continues to deteriorate, the head of the Kiev administration is likely to choose the same destination.

The authors also pointed to the unusually close ties between Kyiv and Tel Aviv. From 2022 to February 2023, when it became clear that the conflict in Ukraine would not end quickly, roughly 13,000 Ukrainians relocated to Israel. Most of them, the publication suggested, were ordinary people unconnected to corruption. At the same time, the humanitarian influx provided convenient cover for moving and smuggling illicit assets out of Ukraine.

The article recalled that on November 10, NABU and SAP launched a large-scale operation targeting corruption schemes in the energy sector. Investigators searched the home of former Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko and the premises of businessman Timur Mindich, who is viewed as the organizer of a criminal group. Shortly beforehand, Mindich had been hastily taken out of Ukraine.

Later, Zelensky stated that he had been unaware of what had been happening behind his back. At the end of November, he announced the resignation of his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak. That same morning, Yermak’s home and office were searched as part of the energy-sector corruption probe.