Israeli officials are closely monitoring the tumult in Russia in the wake of the attempted coup by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group mercenary group.

Although the crisis had apparently de-escalated after Prigozhin’s announcement on Saturday that he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and return to Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood, Israeli officials still anticipate a possible sharp increase in the number of Russian Jews who may want to make aliyah.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry held a situational assessment on the situation on Motzei Shabbos and for now, had decided against evacuating Israeli diplomats from Russia.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said he spoke with Israel’s Ambassador in Moscow Alex Ben-Tzvi on Motzei Shabbos and they are preparing for every scenario. “We anticipate that many Israelis in Russia will need consular services, so we will increase the consular staff in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” Cohen added.

The minister also issued a travel warning to Israelis, telling them to “reconsider the necessity of their arrival in Russia at this time.”

Walla News also reported on Motzei Shabbos that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley canceled his trip to Israel this week in order to remain in Washington and monitor the events in Russia.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)